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Is it permissible for the husband to conceal his wife’s dowry (shabka) without her knowledge, or to take it by force against her will after her refusal, and is it permissible for the wife to conceal her dowry in a place unknown to her husband?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A mature woman has the right to dispose of her wealth without her husband's permission. The dowry (or wedding gift, "shabka") belongs to the wife, whether it is part of the Mahr or a gift from the husband. The husband has no right to dispose of it without her consent. The wife may conceal the dowry and dispose of it as she wishes, but if it is mentioned in the list of movables, then the wife's disposition of it should be proven.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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