Answer: You are
probably referring to the following hadīth:
Abū Hurayrah
narrated from the Prophet: If a husband calls his wife to go to bed with him and
she refuses and the husband spends the night in anger [at her refusal], then the
angels curse her till dawn. (Bukhārī: No. 2998)
It needs to be
realized that a husband and wife, besides fulfilling various other aspects of
the divine plan, are like the guardians of each other’s moral conduct.
Therefore, if a husband approaches his wife to fulfill his sexual desire in
normal circumstances, he would expect that she show her consent. Of course, If
she is tired, ill or is not in the proper frame of mind, it is the husband who
should adjust to the situation. The above quoted hadīth pertains to a refusal by
the wife without any genuine reason because all directives of the Prophet (sws)
have common sense exceptions.
Similarly, if a
husband sees that his wife needs him for the same purpose he too should not
refuse without a reason. This of course is a matter of reciprocation and is a
requisite of politeness. In other words, both husband and wife are the addressee
of such a directive. The reason that women are given this directive is that in
societies which are not perverted it is men who generally take the initiative in
matters of sexual intimacy. |