Question:-
We have been advised that women should not address their husbands by their names. Please advise what are the preferred titles, in order of preference, by which a wife should address her husband such as, “Abu…”, “Bin…” etc
If the husband is studying to become an Aalim, then at what point is it preferable to address him as Maulana, as he has still not earned the title of Maulana whilst studying?
Answer:-
The Fuqaha have written that it is permissible for the husband to address his wife by taking her name. However, it is disrespectful for the wife to address the husband by his name, and therefore categorized it as Makrooh (an act that is abhorred). The wife may use any title of respect when addressing him, such as ‘Ya Sayyidi’, which means ‘My master’, or, if the husband is a Hafez of the Quraan, then he may be referred to as ‘Hafez-e-Saheb’, or in the case of him being an Alim, ‘Maulana’, or in the case of him being a Qari, then, ‘Qari Saheb’ etc.
[Re:- Fataawa Rahimiyyah pg. 233 vol. 10 ]
There isn’t any order of preference that one is required to observe in this regard. It is merely a matter of addressing the husband with some honourable and respectable title. He should only be addressed as ‘Maulana’ after he graduates as an Alim, as one is not considered an Alim by merely studying for a few years. However, if he is a ‘Hafiz’ (that is studying to be an Alim), then you should address him as “Hafiz…”, until he earns the title of ‘Maulana’.
ALLAH TA’ALA KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Mufti Mohammed Desai
Date: 19 Rajab 1443 / 21 February 2022
