Joud Al-Amri Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – Many male guardians in Saudi society take financial advantage of women who are under their guardianship. Although the Shariah compels husbands to be financially responsible for their wives and fathers toward their daughters, many women have fallen victims to unscrupulous practices and have been forced by their husbands and fathers to spend money on them. Many a wife has been forced by her husband to give him her entire salary only to discover later that her husband got married to another wife and left her behind. Other wives have taken the financial burden off their husband's backs but in the end their efforts have not been appreciated. Samiya is one of those wives. In the beginning, her father made her give him her salary every month. Samiya was a school teacher. She continued to suffer under her father's guardianship for a long time. Every time a man proposed to her, her father rejected him for no justifiable reason. Fed up, Samiya decided to put an end to this situation. She started to make her demands known which led to continuos arguments with her father. Her brother stepped in and came up with a solution, which Samiya regretted later. He suggested that she marry his friend. She agreed and she got married and moved out of her father's house. She lived happily for a while until she discovered that her husband was no different from her father. He kept complaining to her about his low salary and how he was always was strapped for money. She started giving him her salary only to discover five years later that her husband had a very decent salary and he owned a house. In addition to her salary, she had also taken several bank loans in her name and given the amount to him. While he was using the money to buy a land and build a house, she was up to her ears in debts paying off loans and utility bills. He never told her that he used the money to build a house. It was in his name. Soad married at an early age. Her husband stood beside her during her study and helped her through college years until she graduated and landed a good job at a hospital. Over a period of years, she was promoted to a senior position with a big salary. During this time, her husband always told her that he was dreaming of sharing a house with her where they did not have to pay rent to anyone. She believed him and started giving him her salary every month. She also took bank loans in her name. After building the house, her husband suggested that the property should be divided in half between them. After doing that, he revealed his true intentions and told her that he wanted to get married and bring his new bride to live with her in the same house. Rania has been married for nine years. She was a victim to her husband's greed. He told her that he had a lot of debts to pay because he borrowed a loan to cover wedding costs. Later, he told her he bought some shares and lost and she should help him. During this time, Rania never thought that her husband was lying to her. She put in many hours in her job at the beauty salons trying to come up with enough money to help her husband. She suffers from problems in her feet because of the long hours she had spent standing and working at different salons. Seven years ago, her husband married another wife. Rania has a son and they both live with her parents because her husband refused to pay for her accommodation. Dr. Hassan Mesfer, professor of Shariah studies, King Abdul Aziz University of Jeddah, said it is not permissible for a husband to take advantage of his wife financially and take her own money. “Husbands are ordered by Shariah to provide for their wives, but not vice versa." A husband does not have the right to take his wife's money, be it salary, inheritance or anything else, he said. However, it is permissible for a husband and a wife to help each other financially if they reach some sort of agreement, he stated.
