Seadet-i Ebediyye - Endless Bliss Sixth Fascicle

ealize these plain facts. May Allâhu ta’âlâ bless the entire
humanity with the lot of learning correctly the lightsome path
guided by the Islamic religion!]
It is stated as follows in the book entitled Bahr-ur-râiq [1] : “It is
farz for the husband to give his wife actual possession of her
nafaqa. Once the wife has taken possession of her nafaqa, it
becomes her personal property. She may sell it or give it as a
present or as alms. If a husband who is rich does not pay nafaqa (to
his wife), the judge will have his property sold and pay the nafaqa.
If his property is a house, the judge will not have it sold. The kisva
(clothing) consists of two (dir’)s and two (khimâr)s and two
(milhafa)s yearly. Milhafa is a piece of clothing that a woman
wears as she goes out. [Today people call it ferâja, saya, and
manto.] One of them is for winter and the other one is for summer
months. As of today underpants, a jubba [thick coat], a bed, and a
blanket must be added to these clothings. In winter months the dir’
is made of wool, and the manto and the khimâr are made of silk.
[Khimâr means head kerchief (head wrap, muffler).] Shoes and
mests have not been included in the nafaqa because they have
been intended for outdoor wear. However, they should be added
to the list, depending on the customs of the time and the country.
The dir’ is a long shirt with an openable collar. The qamîs
(chemise) is a long robe [antâri] openable on the shoulder.
Depending on the customs of the country being lived in, all the
food and clothes and household goods that will be needed by a
woman are included in the nafaqa. The husband has to bring these
things to his home. If he does not bring them or has recourse to
treachery when they are needed, the wife will (have the right to)
buy them with her husband’s money and bring them home. Or she
will hire a deputy, who will buy them for her. If the woman is in
possession of the things needed, this state will not cause them to be
subtracted from her nafaqa. The woman cannot be forced to use
her own property. If she uses her own property, the husband will
(have to) pay his wife for the expenses. Everything must be
brought home by the man. It is harâm for him to force his wife to
work for her living. Nafaqa is not paid to a ‘nâshiza’ wife, i.e. one
[1] It was written by Zeyn-al’âbidîn bin Ibrâhîm ibni Nujeym Misrî
‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’, (926 – 970 [1562 A.D.], Egypt,) as a
commentary to the book entitled Kenz-ud-deqâiq, which in turn had
been written by Abul-barakât Hâfiz-ud-dîn ’Abdullah ’Ahmad
Nesefî ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’, (d. 710 [1310 A.D.], Baghdâd.)
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