Who should provide for the indigent wife: her father or the father of her absent, living husband?

If a husband is absent and does not leave maintenance for his wife, she is permitted to spend from his money if she finds it, even by selling some of his possessions, following the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he said to Hind: "Take what suffices you and your child in a reasonable manner." If she does not find money, she is allowed to borrow on his behalf. If borrowing is not possible, she may request annulment from the judge, who will then annul her marriage.

If the wife does not wish for annulment, her maintenance becomes the responsibility of her capable relatives, such as her father, then her mother, then her siblings. Maintenance is not obligatory upon the husband's father unless the husband has authorized him to spend. The wife's maintenance does not lapse with the passage of time; rather, it remains a debt upon the husband.