Question
What are the obligations of a husband towards his wife as far as Hajj is concerned. Should he pay for it? Also when does Hajj becomes obligatory on a housewife.
Answer
Islam requires the believer to visit God’s Sacred House if the person has the means to do so. It is not supposed to create any sort of hardships because that could undermine the experience of the pilgrimage and create various other problems. Nevertheless, people desire to fulfill this obligation without considering the explicit caution stipulated in the command.
If the husband is the breadwinner, then he has the obligation to spend his earnings for domestic purposes. This includes the needs of the wife (e.g. clothing, housing, food, etc…). All other expenditures are discretionary. Keeping mind the above along with the husband’s role as provider, paying for the wife’s Hajj would up to the will of the husband. While his paying for such a trip is completely voluntary, the kindred nature that is encouraged by Islam’s concepts of marriage should help the husband find the goodness to cover her journey if he has the means to do so. If the husband gives a percentage of his earnings to his wife she has the privilege to use that money for the journey and the husband could kindly, under no religious obligation, make up the rest if she does not have enough. This type of behavior is nothing short of exemplary of the Qur’an’s teachings about marriage.
It should be clear that while the husband is not obligated to fund his wife’s Hajj it is up to him to decide if he has the means to spend for it. If he does, then doing so would be a beautiful illustration of the Qur’anic message of harmony, love and compassion in marriages.
As to the last part of your question, Hajj is mandatory for every Muslim with sound mind and the means to make the pilgrimage. The status of a person, working in or outside the home, has no bearing on when to undertake the Hajj.
I hope this helps.
God knows best.