Regarding a man who contracted a marriage to a woman and paid her the full mahr (dowry), then he divorced her before consummation: Is he entitled to reclaim the entire mahr? And if he were to reclaim it, would he be sinful?
Al-Imām Ibn Bāz (rahimahullāh) stated:
Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has clarified in His Noble Book that if a husband divorces his wife before consummation, then he is entitled to half of the mahr, and not all of it. Allah, the Most High, said:
وَإِنْ طَلَّقْتُمُوهُنَّ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَمَسُّوهُنَّ وَقَدْ فَرَضْتُمْ لَهُنَّ فَرِيضَةً فَنِصْفُ مَا فَرَضْتُمْ إِلَّا أَنْ يَعْفُونَ أَوْ يَعْفُوَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ عُقْدَةُ النِّكَاحِ
“And if you divorce them before you have touched them, and you have already specified for them an obligation (a dowry), then for you is half of what you specified—unless they give up the right, or the one in whose hand is the marriage tie gives it up.” (Al-Baqarah 2:237)
So the husband is entitled to half, and the woman is entitled to half if he divorces her before intimacy—that is, before consummation, before sexual relations, and before seclusion with her. Seclusion (khalwah) is treated as consummation, as was ruled by the Rightly Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them), because it is a situation in which intimacy is presumed.
Therefore, if he divorces her before consummation and before [actual] seclusion where they are alone together, then he is entitled to half of the mahr. But if he divorces her after consummation or after seclusion, then he is entitled to nothing—the mahr belongs to her in full.
Likewise, whatever accompanies the mahr—such as gifts given because of the marriage, or what is customarily given to the woman on the night of consummation as part of the marriage—then this follows the ruling of the mahr, according to the prevailing custom.
However, if they disagree and dispute, and the woman requests divorce, and they come to a mutual settlement upon something, then there is no harm in that. This is known as khulʿ. So if she asks for divorce, or they agree upon divorce in return for half of the mahr, or a third of the mahr, or less or more than that, or even that she returns all of the wealth to him and he divorces her—then there is no problem with this. This is called khulʿ.
The intent here is that divorce before consummation and before valid seclusion results in the mahr being shared equally, if a mahr was specified.
However, if no mahr was specified, then she is entitled only to a parting gift (mutʿah). He gives her a gift according to what Allah has made easy for him—such as clothing or money—giving her provision as a gesture of kindness, and nothing more. Allah the Most High said:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نَكَحْتُمُ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ طَلَّقْتُمُوهُنَّ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَمَسُّوهُنَّ فَمَا لَكُمْ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ عِدَّةٍ تَعْتَدُّونَهَا فَمَتِّعُوهُنَّ وَسَرِّحُوهُنَّ سَرَاحًا جَمِيلًا
“O you who believe! When you marry believing women and then divorce them before you have touched them, then there is no ʿiddah for you to count for them. So provide for them and release them in a gracious manner.”
(Al-Ahzāb 33:49)
And Allah the Most High said:
وَلِلْمُطَلَّقَاتِ مَتَاعٌ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ حَقًّا عَلَى الْمُتَّقِينَ
“And for divorced women there is a provision according to what is customary—a duty upon the righteous.”
(Al-Baqarah 2:241)
So if he divorces her before consummation and before seclusion, and no mahr was specified, then he gives her only a parting gift. She has no mahr—only this parting gift—due to the noble verse:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نَكَحْتُمُ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ طَلَّقْتُمُوهُنَّ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَمَسُّوهُنَّ فَمَا لَكُمْ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ عِدَّةٍ تَعْتَدُّونَهَا فَمَتِّعُوهُنَّ وَسَرِّحُوهُنَّ سَرَاحًا جَمِيلًا
“O you who believe! When you marry believing women and then divorce them before you have touched them…”
(Al-Ahzāb 33:49)
This verse in Sūrat al-Ahzāb clarifies that the woman divorced before consummation—and likewise before seclusion—when no mahr was specified, is entitled to a parting gift.
But if a mahr was specified, then she is given half of it, as mentioned in the verse of Sūrat al-Baqarah. And if he gives her a mutʿah in addition to the half-mahr, then this is from excellence and goodness, due to the general statement of Allah:
وَلِلْمُطَلَّقَاتِ مَتَاعٌ
“And for divorced women there is a provision…”
(Al-Baqarah 2:241)
So if he gives her the half-mahr and also provides her with clothing, extra money, or something else that benefits her, then this is from kindness and good conduct.
It is reported that al-Hasan ibn ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him) divorced two of his wives, and he sent each of them a provision valued at ten thousand (dirhams or dinars). One of them accepted it and said, “May Allah reward him with goodness,” and remained silent. The other said, “A small gift from a departing beloved.” When her words reached him, he proposed to her again and took her back. May Allah have mercy upon him and be pleased with him.
So the point is that the parting gift contains goodness, and within it is consolation for the hardship, because divorce is a hardship and a calamity. Thus, if he consoles her—along with the half-mahr—by what is customary and good; or if he gives her the full mahr and takes nothing back as a means of consoling her; or if he takes only the half yet gives her additional provision such as clothing, extra money, a house, land, or a servant (in the times when bonded servants existed), or a female servant owned by him—then all of this falls under good provision, noble conduct, and the highest standards of character.
Abu Khadeejah.
Audio source:
Arabic:
الجواب: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم، الحمد لله، وصلى الله وسلم على رسول الله، وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن اهتدى بهداه.
أما بعد: فقد بين الله عز وجل في كتابه العظيم أن الزوج إذا طلق زوجته قبل الدخول فله النصف وليس له الجميع، قال تعالى: وَإِنْ طَلَّقْتُمُوهُنَّ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَمَسُّوهُنَّ وَقَدْ فَرَضْتُمْ لَهُنَّ فَرِيضَةً فَنِصْفُ مَا فَرَضْتُمْ إِلَّا أَنْ يَعْفُونَ أَوْ يَعْفُوَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ عُقْدَةُ النِّكَاحِ [البقرة:237] الزوج له النصف والمرأة لها النصف إذا طلقها قبل المسيس، يعني: قبل الدخول بها، قبل وطئها وقبل الخلوة بها، الخلوة ملحقة بالوطء كما أفتى بذلك الخلفاء الراشدون ؛ لأنها مظنة المسيس، فإذا طلقها قبل الدخول والخلوة فله النصف، وإن طلقها بعد الدخول بها أو الخلوة بها فليس له شيء، المهر لها كامل.
وهكذا ما يتبع المهر من الهدايا التي من أجل النكاح، أو ما تعطاه المرأة في ليلة الدخول بها تبع النكاح حسب العادة المتبعة وهو تبع المهر، أما إذا اختلفا وتنازعا وطلبت الطلاق واصطلحا على شيء فلا بأس، وهذا يسمى خلع، إذا طلبت الطلاق أو اتفق معها على الطلاق على نصف المهر أو على ثلث المهر أو على أقل أو أكثر أو على أنها تعطيه المال كله ويطلقها هذا لا بأس به، وهذا يسمى خلع.
المقصود أن الطلاق قبل الدخول والخلوة يكون المهر مناصفة إذا كان مسمى، أما إذا كان ما سمى لها شيء فإنما يكون لها متعة، يعطيها متعة ما يسر الله من كسوة أو نقود يعطيها، يمتعها متاع فقط، كما قال تعالى: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نَكَحْتُمُ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ طَلَّقْتُمُوهُنَّ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَمَسُّوهُنَّ فَمَا لَكُمْ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ عِدَّةٍ تَعْتَدُّونَهَا فَمَتِّعُوهُنَّ وَسَرِّحُوهُنَّ سَرَاحًا جَمِيلًا [الأحزاب:49] قال تعالى: وَلِلْمُطَلَّقَاتِ مَتَاعٌ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ حَقًّا عَلَى الْمُتَّقِينَ [البقرة:241]فإذا طلقها ولم يسم لها مهراً قبل الدخول والخلوة فإنه يعطيها متعة فقط، ليس لها مهر، متعة، للآية الكريمة: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نَكَحْتُمُ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ طَلَّقْتُمُوهُنَّ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَمَسُّوهُنَّ فَمَا لَكُمْ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ عِدَّةٍ تَعْتَدُّونَهَا فَمَتِّعُوهُنَّ وَسَرِّحُوهُنَّ سَرَاحًا جَمِيلًا [الأحزاب:49] هذه الآية في سورة الأحزاب تبين لنا أن مهر المطلقة قبل الدخول وهكذا الخلوة إذا كانت ما سمي لها مهر لها المتعة، أما إذا سمي لها المهر فإنها تعطى النصف كما في آية البقرة، وإن متعها مع النصف هذا فضل لعموم قوله تعالى: وَلِلْمُطَلَّقَاتِ مَتَاعٌ [البقرة:241] إذا أعطاها النصف ومتعها بكسوة أو بدراهم أخرى أو بشيء مما ينفعها، فهذا من الإحسان ومن المعروف ويروى أن الحسن بن علي وعن أبيه طلق زوجتين من زوجاته، وبعث إليهما متاعاً قدره عشرة آلاف لكل واحدة، فإحداهما أخذته وقالت: جزاه الله خيراً، وسكتت، والثانية قالت: متاع قليل من حبيب مفارق، فلما بلغه كلامها خطب عليها وراجعها، رحمه الله ورضي عنه.
فالمقصود أن المتاع فيه خير وفيه جبر للمصيبة؛ لأن الطلاق مصيبة، فإذا جبرها مع النصف بمعروف أو أعطاها المهر كله ولم يأخذ شيئاً جبراً لها، أو أخذ النصف ولكن أعطاها متاع كسوة أو دراهم أخرى، أو بيت أو أرض أو خادماً إذا كان موجود رقيق أعطاها، أو خادمة مملوكة، كل هذا من المتاع الحسن ومن مكارم الأخلاق. نعم
