Abstract

One of the basic rule of Islamic law is the maintenance of wives, dependent children and other relatives by the male member of the family. Right to maintenance is termed as ‘nafaqah’in Arabic. Nafaqah has been defined by different scholars in various ways, which Includes mainly human basic needs. This article is concerned with Muslim wives’ right to maintenance. To get nafaqah from the husband is the Quranic right of the wife. If the wife enjoys it properly there is no question of claiming it; claims can be raised only when she is deprived from enjoying her right as a wife.
In Bangladesh, women can claim maintenance in the Family Court under the Family Court’s Ordinance 1985. Besides that, many NGOs are also working in favour of women. A huge number of cases are solved by the NGOs. There are three main NGOs in Rajshahi district namely, Bangladesh National Women Lawyer’s Association (BNWLA), Association for Community Development (ACD), and Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), which provide legal aid to women. The aim of this article is to focus on how these NGOs help Muslim wives of Rajshahi district to realize maintenance. This paper also highlights one year’s study of the above three NGO’s in Rajshahi district regarding the maintenance of wives in this region.