MARRIED BLISS

Islamic marriage theory:

Sheikh Abdul Rahman Abu Deya, an Islamic scholar, said that it is the duty of the husband to support his wife and meet the costs of running the house. He said that it is optional for the wife to help her husband in sharing expenses if she so wishes.

Reality:

Umm Samaher, another Saudi female teacher, said that when she turned close to 35 she was getting desperate to marry. As a teacher she had a good salary and a house and so went to a matchmaker thinking that would be the best way of meeting someone suitable.

A 32-year-old man soon asked for her hand in marriage, which she immediately accepted thinking about her lonely days. Soon after, Umm Samaher found her new husband to be uneducated, unemployed and extremely greedy. “He demanded that I give him my entire salary. He would say he was the man of the house and, therefore, had a right to pay for expenses,” said Umm Samaher.

I could be way off base here but it's probably a good idea to get to know your husband before you marry him.