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Am I entitled to demand my dowry and a separate legitimate home, and if he does not agree, is it permissible for me to seek Khulʿ (divorce initiated by the wife)? And is it religiously lawful for my husband to marry given his inability to provide two homes and his substantial debts?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars have differed on the ruling concerning the condition of deferring the mahr (dowry) to an unspecified time. Some invalidate such deferment and mandate immediate payment, while others stipulate for the validity of the deferment that the husband be solvent and capable of paying the mahr at the time of the contract; otherwise, the deferment is void. The wife has the right to demand her deferred mahr if her husband becomes solvent, and also to a separate and suitable dwelling. If the wife dislikes her husband and fears that she will not be able to uphold Allah's limits with him, she may seek khul' (divorce initiated by the wife) in exchange for waiving the deferred mahr or part of it. As for a man marrying another wife while being unable to afford the expenses of marriage, this is a matter of dispute among scholars.

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

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