Nafaqah (Arabic: نَفَقَة), nafaqa or nafkah is the Islamic legal term for the financial support a husband must provide for his wife (during marriage and for a time after divorce) and children.
Under an Islamic marriage agreement, the husband is obliged to pay for his wife's housing (including furniture[1]), food and clothing in the course of their marriage.
The clothing consists of the following each year:[2]
He is generally also expected to pay for all her medical expenses, although schools of legal thought differ on this point.[3] The obligation to pay nafaqa starts as soon as the wife moves into the conjugal dwelling.[4] Depending on social class and agreement, nafaqah can also include support for the wife's family members or servants, so as to provide a living standard consistent with her peers.[5] In the event of divorce, the same mode of support is stipulated for three months afterwards. When a woman dies, her funeral expenses will be paid by her husband.[6]
The financial rights of children encompass the right to livelihood, property and inheritance. The Quran imposes an obligation on the father to financially support the breast-feeding mother for their child's welfare and well-being.[7] A son will be paid nafaqa until he reaches puberty. Daughters will be supported until they get married.[8] If a poor person earns only a bare pittance, it will not be fard for him to pay nafaqa to his poor father.