[abomokhtar]

What are the mutual responsibilities of both the wife and the husband in Islam?
Answer
The family is a single joint entity hence both spouses share the responsibility of caring for it. Among these are:
Cooperative parenting
It is not an easy task to parent and educate children to prepare them for their future responsibilities. This calls for the joint efforts of both parents who must teach their children to depend on themselves and use their competencies and abilities to the best of their ability. Children are the fruit of marriage and the ornament of this life. God the Almighty says: “Wealth and children are an ornament of the life of this world…” [18: 46].
Consequently, parents have duties toward their children, most important of which are:
• Parents are required to give an honorable and dignified life to their children starting from pregnancy until adulthood. Abortion is prohibited after ensoulment except in the existence of an overwhelming necessity such as to save the mother’s life, if the fetus is dead or cannot live after birth (if this is established by a trustworthy Muslim doctor). A mother cannot be coerced to terminate a pregnancy.
• A father must choose a wife with desirable characteristics. She must be religious, of good character and come from a good family.
• A couple must seek refuge in God the Almighty from the cursed Satan before engaging in intercourse. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If any of you wants to have intercourse with his wife, he should first say, ‘In the name of God, O Allah! Protect us from Satan and protect what you bestow on us [children] from him.’ If the couple is destined to have a child, Satan will never be able to harm him or her” [recorded by Al-Bukhari].
read more...
http://eng.dar-alifta.org/foreign/Vi...a.aspx?ID=8339