What are the rights of the husband’s parents on his wife? If the parents are oppressive and wish to enforce rules on their daughter in law, what should the husband do?
Secondly, if a husband asks his wife to serve them and the wife refuses, is she sinning?
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
In principle, the husband’s parents do not have any particular rights over the wife. If the parents-in-law are oppressive, the husband should use wisdom and diplomacy to prevent the oppression. He should not support his parents in their oppression.
The wife is not obligated to serve her in-laws. She will not be sinful if she refuses to serve them. However, if she serves her in-laws out of her goodwill, considering them like her own parents, she will be greatly rewarded, and that attitude may be in her best interest.
And Allah Ta‘ālā Knows Best.
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.