I have been married for three years. My dower is two thousand dinars, one thousand and five hundred of which is in gold. I sold a portion of this gold and kept the money in my savings account. When my husband knew about this, he gave me a slap on the wrist and, in addition to his father, accused me of theft and threw me out of the house. Later on, they sent some good people to convince me to return to my husband`s house and I did. However, my father-in-law still insists that I`m a thief and have sold my husband`s gold, considering that it is his, without seeking his permission first. What is the ruling of Sharia when the wife deals with her dower, be it gold or other?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
The dower of the wife is hers and she may use it in lawful matters, and nobody has the right to interfere in her financial affairs since none may act as her guardian save for a Sharia-based reason. In addition, since she is a mature adult of sound mind, then it is neither permissible nor valid to place her under guardianship. Here, I remind that it isn`t permissible for her or anyone else to deposit money in a usurious bank. And Allah the Almighty.