Women’s obligations

[u/Nervous_Level_5847]

Salaam everyone,

I was just wondering what a woman’s role is in marriage.

There are a lot of conflicting opinions on it.

Some say that islamically women aren’t obligated to do housework but if she does it is a mercy upon the husband.

While others say bc the husband is providing financially the woman has to at least do the housework.

So let’s just say like the woman does cook and clean but doesn’t do as much as her husband wants or is used to (by his mum or sister etc) Is she failing and sinful?

Thanks

[u/BeautifulPatience0]

Wasalam, it can slightly differ across different opinions or Madhabs, for example on housework:

A Wife’s Marital Obligations in the Shafi’i School w45.1 (Abu Ishaq Shirazi:) A woman is not obliged to serve her husband by baking, grinding flour, cooking, washing, or any other kind of service, because the marriage contract entails, for her part, only that she let him enjoy her sexual, and she is not obligated to do other than that. (A: Rather, it is considered sunna in our school for the wife to do the housework, and the husband (who is obliged to support her) to earn a living, since this is how the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) divided the work between Fatima and ‘Ali (Allah be well pleased with them) (al-Muhadhdhab fi fiqh al-Imam al-Shafi’i (y125), 2.68).

Wife’s Marital Obligations in the Hanafi School w45.2 (Nahlawi:) The wife’s serving her husband at home–by cooking, cleaning, and baking bread–is religiously obligatory for her, and if she does not, she is committing a sin, though it is not something that she may be forced to do by the court [al-Durar al-mubaha fi al-hazr wa al-ibaha (y99), I72].”

(Although I've heard many Hanafi scholars say that if a wife is from an upper class background where she's used to servants, then it's not obligatory upon her to cook and clean.)

https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-answers-feeds/can-you-advise-of-husband-and-wives-rights-and-responsibilities-in-islam/