(The Fiqh Rulings (or Jurisprudence) in the Hadith: "The rich man's delay (in paying a debt) is oppression") "An Applied Study on the Wife's Right to Maintenance (Nafaqah)"

Abstract

This study examines the noble prophetic hadith: “The delay of the wealthy is injustice” as a practical case study on the wife’s right to alimony. The research relies on the analytical method to understand the hadith text and its narrations, the deductive method to derive the related jurisprudential rulings, and the applied method to demonstrate the hadith’s impact on the practical implementation of these rulings. The study aims to highlight the significance of this hadith in safeguarding the wife’s financial and moral rights and preventing procrastination in fulfilling them, thereby promoting justice and family stability.

The research explores the hadith’s text and its legal implications, including verifying its authenticity and explaining its linguistic and technical meanings to clarify the precise jurisprudential concept it conveys. It addresses general rulings related to financial rights and obligations, as well as specific rulings regarding marital alimony, distinguishing between a wealthy husband capable of payment and one facing hardship, and detailing the duties of providing financial support, housing, clothing, and covering the rights of pregnancy, while emphasizing justice and compassion in the application of these rulings.

Furthermore, the study presents practical examples illustrating cases of delay or refusal to pay alimony and their effects on the wife and children. It highlights the hadith’s role in protecting marital rights, noting that delaying alimony when capable of payment constitutes prohibited injustice under Islamic law. The research confirms that this hadith establishes a general principle for legal and judicial protection of the wife’s rights, obliging the husband to promptly fulfill her financial and moral entitlements, in alignment with the objectives of Sharia in establishing the family on the foundations of justice, compassion, and harmony.