In the third episode of his Ramadan Program broadcast on Egyptian TV ... The Grand Imam: Wife's obedience to her husband is not a kind of oppression or domination

     His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Prof Ahmed Aṭ-Ṭayyeb said that the wife's obedience to her husband is not a kind of oppression or domination, and that wife-husband relation is not subordinate-boss. He explained that the husband's right to be obeyed by his wife is not unconditional. Rather, it is governed by numerous restrictions; the first of which is that such obedience is limited to familial affairs. The second is that a husband cannot ask a wife to do something illegitimate; i.e. obedience should be within the bounds of fairness, just as the children's obedience to the parents is bound by the latter's fairness.

     The Imam stressed that the wife's obedience to her husband should spring from her desire to please her beloved, because this makes her experience happiness, psychological comfort and mutual love. When conceived within the framework of good relation and mutual affection recommended by the Qur'an, such a relationship will be the reason for the continuity of the family, while its absence will be the first nail in the coffin of the family. He noted that when the texts of the Qur'an and the dictates of the Shari`ah talk about obedience, they consider it necessary to avoid split, division and conflict, which are the seeds of family destruction.

     The Grand Imam concluded that the husband-wife graceful relationship during the period of marriage would ensure the wife's obedience to her husband, out of her willingness and desire to fulfil his desires. The wife and the husband are responsible for the stability of the family; because destruction of the family means, at first, failure in this life, and has its own consequences on the Day of Resurrection.

     The Grand Imam's program is broadcast at 6:15 pm daily throughout the Holy Month of Ramadan. The program discusses a number of Muslim family issues, the rights recognized by Islam for husband and wife, and how to preserve the family entity as a basis for building a sound human community.