hat tip-http://www.intellnet.org
http://islamqa. com/en/ref/ 83815
Q: Is it obligatory for the husband to provide medical treatment for his
wife?
If the wife becomes temporarily or chronically ill, does the husband
have to pay for her treatment? If she for example, wants to have
children but suffers from problems preventing her from having children,
does her husband have to seek treatment for her and pay for it? If it is
not compulsory on the husband to do so, then what shall the wife do if
she becomes ill while she does not have money and her husband doesn’t
give her money to save?.
A: Praise be to Allaah.
According to the majority of fuqaha’ from the four madhhabs, the husband
is not obliged to pay for medical treatment for his wife. Some of them
gave the reason for that as being that it is not one of the essential
needs, rather it is something extraneous.
Imam al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Umm (8/337):
The man is not obliged to offer a sacrifice on behalf of his wife or to
pay the fee of a doctor or cupper for her. End quote.
It says in Sharh Muntaha al-Iraadaat (3/227): He is not obliged to
provide medicine or pay the fee of a doctor if she falls sick, because
these are not essential needs, rather they are incident and are not
obligatory. End quote
See: Haashiyat Ibn ‘Aabideen (3/575); Sharh al-Kharashi ‘ala Mukhtasar
Khaleel (4/178
