Must I return the consolatory payment (nafaqat al-mut'a) and the maintenance during the waiting period (idda) if my husband wishes to take me back after divorce, and am I entitled to stipulate a new deferred dower (mahr mu'akhkhar)?

If a man divorces his wife with a revocable divorce and spends on her for the iddah (waiting period) and pays her the mut'ah (consolatory gift), he is not entitled to reclaim these. This is because the maintenance during the iddah is obligatory upon the husband, and the mut'ah is paid to the divorced woman after her iddah has expired. If he pays the mut'ah before the end of the iddah and then reconciles with her, he does not reclaim it because it is like a captured gift (a gift already taken possession of). If he wishes to reconcile with her after the iddah has expired, a new marriage contract and a new mahr (dowry) are required. It is permissible to agree to defer the mahr or a part of it.