Q. Since a husband is responsible for all his wife’s needs, if she is a housewife, and since he pays zakah on her jewelry, what is his position when he is unemployed and does not have enough funds to pay her zakah?
A.S. Arif
A. The whole premise is wrong. A husband is certainly responsible to provide his wife with a decent living according to his means. This applies even when she has an income or when she is richer than him. He still needs to provide for her food, housing, clothes and other needs.
However, when it comes to religious duties, a husband is not responsible for his wife’s duty. He cannot pray or fast on her behalf, so why should he pay her zakah or pay for her pilgrimage? The fact is that all men and women are equal in front of God, and each is responsible for his or her own duties. Whether a husband is rich or poor, he need not pay his wife’s zakah, unless he chooses to do so.
The question I am frequently asked is how is a woman to pay zakah on her jewelry when she has no income of her own. The answer has always been that jewelry kept for personal use is not liable to zakah. Zakah applies to money that is liable to growth. Jewelry cannot grow, even though the price of gold may go up. Most scholars agree that a woman’s jewelry is exempt from zakah as long as it remains within reasonable means and it is for personal use.
Arab News Islam 25 April 2003
