What is the ruling regarding a student of knowledge who is unable to pay the maintenance for his divorced wife and children after his sponsorship has ceased, and is he obligated to pay the maintenance for the accumulated months when he is unable to pay for even one month's maintenance?

The maintenance of the wife and children is obligatory upon the husband. If the husband divorces his wife with a revocable divorce, maintenance and its provisions (housing and clothing) are obligatory for her as long as she is in her iddah (waiting period), because she is considered to be like a wife. If the husband ceases to provide maintenance in this situation, it becomes a debt upon him that must be repaid. However, if the divorce is irrevocable, the divorced woman is not entitled to maintenance unless she is pregnant.