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What are the wife's entitlements from the Mahr (dowry), deferred dowry, gifts, gold, and the engagement ring after the dissolution of the marriage contract without consummation?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If a man divorces his wife before consummating the marriage, but he secluded himself with her in a way that no one could see them, then he is obligated to pay the full dower, both the prompt and deferred portions. This is the view of the majority of jurists, and Al-Tahawi narrated it as a consensus among the Companions. It has been reported from the Rightly Guided Caliphs that whoever closes a door or lowers a curtain, the dower becomes obligatory upon him, and the waiting period (iddah) also becomes obligatory. As for the gifts the wife gave you, she has the right to demand them back, whereas you have no right to reclaim the gifts you gave her, because the divorce originated from your side.

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

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