The Reward For Serving One’s Wife

Rasûlullâh sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “By doing your wife’s work you will receive the reward of charity.”

Lesson: Look at how the Sharî-‘ ah has shown you the ways of providing comfort to women. It has promised to reward you in such a way that every Muslim will provide comfort to his wife in the hope for this reward.

Here we find an easy method of obtaining the thawaab of giving charity. Husbands could reflect that when Hadhrat Ayesha Radiallahu anha was asked about what the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) used to do in his house, she replied:

“He was like any other human being: he would clean his clothes, milk his ewe and serve himself.”

( Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 6/256; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah,

671). By doing some household work ourselves:

* We would be following the example of the Nabi Sallallahu alyhi wasallam and would thus be more closer unto Allah Ta’ala.

* We would be helping our wives. This would soften their hearts towards us. They would feel honoured that they are not maids * We would feel more humble, not arrogant.

Some men demand food instantly from their wives, when the pot is on the stove and the baby is screaming to be fed; they do not pick up the child or wait a little while for the food. They would either read the newspaper, be busy on the cell phone or watch T.V.

The day the Sabr of the wife is shattered by the insensitivity of the husband, the husband is taken aback and cannot fathom what happened. Does he not work from morning to night and provide her with everything she needs? This husband has failed to understand that happiness is in sharing.