My wife attends parties and sees what the other women are wearing, then she demands clothes and gold like those she has seen. My monthly income is not like that of the husbands of those women. What should I do with her?
Praise be to Allah.
There is an important hadeeth from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which explains this matter
and says that this is one of the causes of doom. There follows the text
of this hadeeth so that you may advise your wife thereby. Imaam Ibn
Khuzaymah narrated in Kitaab al-Tawheed that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) delivered a khutbah (sermon)
and spoke at length., in which he mentioned matters of this world and
the Hereafter. He said that the first thing that led to the destruction
of the Children of Israel was when the wife of a poor man would make
demands for clothes and jewellery just as the wife of a rich man would
demand.
Al-Silsilah al-Saheehah
by al-Albaani, no. 591.
He said, this is a saheeh isnaad according to the
conditions of Muslim.
You must remind her of the importance of being
content and of asceticism in this world. Promise her that that you will
give her more when Allaah gives you more, and remind her of what Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Let the rich man spend
according to his means; and the man whose resources are restricted,
let him spend according to what Allaah has given him. Allaah puts no
burden on any person beyond what He has given him. Allaah will grant
after hardship, ease” [al-Talaaq 65:7]