Must the money spent by the suitor on his fiancée during the engagement period be returned after the engagement is broken off due to family problems?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The gifts from a suitor to his fiancée are not merely gifts, but an expression of his desire to complete the marriage.
If the engagement is broken off by the woman or her family, she must return the gifts.
If the engagement is broken off by the suitor, he has no right to reclaim the gifts.
An exception to this is consumable gifts like food and money that has been spent; these do not need to be returned. However, if the break-off is from the woman or her family, he has the right to reclaim their value.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/5432
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 5432
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy