Is it obligatory for a man to cover the cost of his wife’s hajj?

Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam. Allah Almighty says, “Hajj is [during] well-known months, so whoever has made hajj obligatory upon himself therein [by entering the state of ihram], there is [to be for him] no sexual relations and no disobedience and no disputing during hajj. And whatever good you do — Allah knows it. And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is fear of Allah. And fear Me, O you of understanding” (Quran, 2:197). Hajj is a duty upon every Muslim, man or woman, who has the physical and financial ability to perform it.

A man is financially independent of his wife, and a woman is financially independent of her husband. If one spouse can perform hajj while the other cannot, the one who is able must fulfill the obligation. A husband is not required by Islamic law to pay for his wife’s hajj expenses, nor is a wife obligated to pay for her husband’s. There is no objection in Islamic law for either spouse to voluntarily cover the other’s hajj expenses if they so wish.

And Allah Almighty knows best.