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Is the first wife, who endured the hardships of life and supported her husband financially and morally, entitled to a share of his wealth after their divorce, especially since he became rich thanks to her?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Whatever money the wife provided to her husband, if it was a loan or a partnership, she has the right to reclaim it, and the husband must return it. However, if it was a donation or a gift, she has no right to reclaim it.

As for the emotional aspect, Islam encourages reciprocating kindness with kindness, especially towards a wife who has spent her life serving her husband. If a divorce occurs, it is obligatory to console her and treat her kindly with a mut'ah (consolatory gift) estimated according to the husband's financial situation, whether rich or poor, as Allah Almighty says: "And for divorced women is a provision [mut'ah] by acceptable means – a duty upon the righteous." The apparent madhhab (school of thought) is that mut'ah is only obligatory for the woman whose mahr (dowry) was not specified and with whom intercourse has not occurred, if she is divorced. Others, however, hold that it is obligatory for every divorced woman.

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

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