Title: Depriving the Wife of her Rights for Pleasing Parents Question: My husband has a house in our country, which he made from his own savings and his own work, and his parents are living in their own house, which is a couple of blocks away from his house. We were living away from our country and now we are planning to move back to it. He told me that it would make his parents happy to move to the new house so he decided to give them his new house and since he doesn't have any more money, he said that I should accept sharing the house with them. Considering that they have their own house and they are in a good health. Does my husband have the right to force me to share the same place to live in with no reason except that it should make them happy in spite of the fact that it is against my own happiness? Marwa Aldep Answer: The two aspects referred in your question should be considered independent of each other: Firstly, every person has the right to give away any part of his wealth and property to any other person. No one has a legal right to hinder the owner from exercising this right. Thus, it is indeed your husband's right to give away any part of his property, whether temporarily or permanently, to his parents; Secondly, it is the natural right of the wife that if she so demands, then she be provided an independent residence. However, if the husband cannot afford to provide his wife an independent residence, then she should consider the issue with more empathy and try to resolve the issue in the most suitable manner. Keeping these two points as well as the fact that the parents of your husband already have an independent house in perspective, it is clear that even though under normal circumstances, it would have been perfectly alright, in fact, quite commendable, on the part of your husband, to give away his house to his parents, yet it would not be correct for him to do so by depriving you of your rights, even if it is in his desire to be good toward his parents, except only if you willingly agree in forgoing your right to the independent residence. The foregoing explanation sums up my opinion regarding the situation that you face from a purely legal perspective. However, I would strongly advise you that if the parents of your husband are old and due to their old-age, require your and your family's company, then you take a more sympathetic view of your husband's desire of blessing his parents with his company and physical closeness in their old age. I assure you that your cooperation with your husband in trying to be good towards his parents shall be greatly rewarded in the life of this world as well as the hereafter. I hope this helps. Regards, Moiz Amjad December 9, 2001