Can a woman donate any of her money without her husband’s permission?
Question

                I want to help my family, my father, mother and siblings, by giving them some money. I work and I have a lot of money, alhamdulillah. I am able to help them, but my husband will not let me. What should I do?.
Praise be to Allah.
    If your family (your father, mother and siblings) are poor 
    and you are able to spend on them, then you are obliged to do so, and it is 
    not permissible for you to obey your husband and not spend on them. 

    See Question no. 44995. 

    Secondly: 

    If your spending on your family is done on a voluntary basis, 
    i.e., they are not in need of this money, rather you want to treat them 
    kindly and uphold the ties of kinship by giving this money, then the 
    scholars differed concerning the ruling on a woman donating some of her 
    wealth voluntarily without her husband’s permission. 

    The majority of scholars are of the view that the wife cannot 
    be stopped from donating some of her wealth; she has the right to dispose of 
    it as she wishes without her husband’s permission. They quoted several texts 
    as evidence, such as the following: 

    1 – The proven report that Umm al-Mu’mineen Maymoonah bint 
    al-Haarith (may Allaah be pleased with her) freed a slave woman and she did 
    not ask the permission of the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings 
    of Allaah be upon him). When it was her day for the Prophet  (peace and 
    blessings of Allaah be upon him) to stay with her, she said: “Did you 
    notice, O Messenger of Allaah, that I freed my slave woman?” He said: “Did 
    you?” She said: “Yes.” He said: “If you had given her to your maternal 
    uncles you would have earned a greater reward.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 
    2592; Muslim, 999. 

    Al-Nawawi said: 

    This shows that it is permissible for a woman to dispose of 
    her wealth voluntarily without her husband’s permission. 

    2 – al-Bukhaari (978) and Muslim (885) narrated that Jaabir 
    ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: The Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be 
    upon him) stood up on the day of al-Fitr and led the people in prayer. He 
    started with the prayer then he delivered the khutbah (sermon). When he had 
    finished he came down and came to the woman and exhorted them, leaning on 
    Bilaal’s arm, and Bilaal was spreading out his cloak for the woman to throw 
    their sadaqah (charity) into it. According to another report: they started 
    to give their jewellery in charity. 

    Al-Haafiz said: 

    This hadeeth shows that a woman may give her wealth in 
    charity without her husband’s permission. 

    Al-Nawawi said: 

    This hadeeth shows that it is permissible for a woman to give 
    some of her wealth in charity without her husband’s permission and that this 
    is not limited to one-third of her wealth. This is our view and the view of 
    the majority. Maalik said: It is not permissible for her to give more than 
    one-third of her wealth except with her husband’s permission. Our evidence 
    for that from the hadeeth is the fact that the Prophet  (peace and 
    blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not ask them whether they had their 
    husbands for permission, or whether they were giving more than one-third. If 
    the ruling had differed he would have asked them. 

    Some of the scholars are of the view that a woman should not 
    donate any of her wealth except with her husband’s permission. They quoted 
    as evidence the words of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be 
    upon him): “It is not permissible for a women to give anything except with 
    her husband’s permission.” Narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad, 
    6643; Abu Dawood, 3547; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abu 
    Dawood. 

    The majority of scholars interpreted this hadeeth as 
    referring to a foolish woman who does not handle money properly, or as 
    meaning that it is mustahabb for a woman to ask her husband’s permission, 
    not that it is obligatory, and that this is part of good manners. 

    Al-Khattaabi said: 
According to the 
    majority of fuqaha’, this is part of good manners and making the husband 
    feel good, but that only applies in the case of a woman who is not wise or 
    mature. It was proven that the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings 
    of Allaah be upon him) said to the women, “Give charity,” and they started 
    to throw their earrings and rings and Bilaal caught them in his cloak, and 
    these gifts were given without their husbands’ permission. 

    Al-Shawkaani said in Nayl al-Awtaar (3/414): 

    This hadeeth has been quoted as proof that it is not 
    permissible for a woman to give away any of her wealth without her husband’s 
    permission, even if she is wise and mature. But there was some difference of 
    scholarly opinion concerning that. Al-Layth said: That is not permissible at 
    all, either concerning one-third of her wealth or less than that, except 
    with regard to insignificant things. Tawoos and Maalik said: It is 
    permissible for a woman to give away up to one-third of her wealth without 
    her husband’s permission, but no more than that; it is not permissible to 
    give more than that without his permission. The majority are of the view 
    that it is permissible for her to give any amount away without her husband’s 
    permission, so long as she is not immature. If she is immature then it is 
    not permissible. It says in al-Fath: the latter view, which is that 
    of the majority of scholars, is well founded in the Qur’aan and Sunnah. 
Based on this, a woman 
    should not be prevented from giving some of her wealth in charity, even if 
    her husband does not approve. 

    But it is better to ask his permission so that he will feel 
    good, and so as to avoid any hard feelings on his part about his wife’s 
    spending. And he should give her permission and not stop his wife from doing 
    good deeds and treating people kindly. 

    And Allaah knows best. 
See also question no.
    21684.