Some Islamic scholars in Bauchi have said that any husband who fails to shoulder the healthcare needs of his family, especially pregnant women and nursing mothers has committed an offence that could invalidate the marriage.
The Islamic scholars who are members of the state Social and Behavior Change Advocacy Core Group SBC-ACG made the remark on a live phone in radio programmemonitored in Bauchi, which focused on women’s access to Healthcare services under the Adalci initiative of the advocacy group.
The Social and Behavior Change Advocacy Core Group is an initiative of Breakthrough Action Nigeria BA-N, a USAID funded programme designed to promote good health behaviours around maternal, newborn and child health, child birth spacing, malaria and nutrition.
The clerics who featured on the programme include Sheik Mustapha Baba Ilelah a onetime chairman of the State Shari’ah Commission and Sheik Abdallah Ibrahim.
In his contribution, Sheik Mustapha Baba Ilelahreminded husbands that neglecting the health needs of one’s wife is a breach of the agreement upon which the marriage was contracted, an offence he said is punishable under the nation’s law and in the hereafter.
“It is incumbent upon every husband to take his wife to a health facility or gives her all that she needs to go and seek medical care when in need. Whosoever that fails in this obligation, is an irresponsible husband and is part of those people whom the Prophet described as La’ims”, remarked Baba Ilelah
On his part, Sheik Ibrahim Abdallah emphasized that meeting the health needs one’s family is an act of Ibadat (worship), which also attracts reward from Almighty Allah.
“There is no portion of the Holy Qur’an or the Hadith of the Holy Prophet which a Muslim could use as an evidence to refuse his family and especially pregnant wife access to healthcare for herself and the unborn baby”, says Sheik Abdallah.
Another guest on the programme, Jamila SuleNingi narrated an incident in which a pregnant woman lost her life in the process of child birth, following her husband’s refusal to take her to a health facility despite becoming apparent to him that she could not deliver at home.
Callers into the programme and contributors through social media, called on religious and traditional rulers to intensify efforts in enlightening their subjects on their marital obligations, especially in the areas of maternal and child health.
