Answered by: Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Question:
Assalamu alaikum
Is it prohibited for the husband to demand the inspection of bank statement of his wife’s account, especially when he wants to clear his suspicion regarding her wrongful spending or suspicion of the wife being blackmailed by any former associate?
Answer:
In The Name Of Allah, The Most-Merciful, The Most Kind
Having unfounded suspicion on your wife or discreetly checking into her private matters is something, which is not allowed in Islam.
Allah (SWA) in the Holy Qur’an has said,
“O those who believe abstain from many of the suspicions. Some suspicions are sins. And do not be curious, and do not backbite one another. Do one of you like that he eats the flesh of his dead brother? You would abhor it.” (Surah Al Hujurat v.12)
The second social evil which has been mentioned in the aforementioned verse is with regards to Tajasus, spying or prying secretly into the fault of others. An alternative reading of tajasus is tahasus.
The two words in Arabic are near-synonyms. Akhfash says there is a subtle difference in their meanings. Tajasus connotes looking into people’s affairs which they have kept hidden, whilst tahasus connotes searching in general.
Bayanul Qur’an interprets that tajasus and tahasus include the sense of listening to people without their permission when they are talking or eavesdropping at their doors. (Extracted from Maariful Qur’an p.138-p.139 v.8)
The conclusion we can come to is that you should not check on her spending by spying or discreetly checking her statements. If you have strong evidence about your wife’s spending and dealings you should explain to her your misgivings in a gentle way and let her explain to you what she is doing with the money. This will be the best way to settle this issue to prevent it from escalating into a big dispute between you and your wife.
Only Allah Knows Best
Answered by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham