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The question

Does the husband have the right to hold his wife accountable for how she spends her mahr, which he divided into a portion for her and a portion for preparing for marriage and buying clothes?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

It is not permissible for a husband to hold his wife accountable for her mahr (dowry), because it is her right and a debt upon him. In exchange for this mahr and maintenance, Allah granted the husband qawamah (guardianship/authority) over his wife, as stated in His verse: ﴿Men are guardians over women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property…﴾. Al-Tabari interpreted this to mean that men are in charge of their women due to Allah's preference for them by their spending. The mahr is a right for the woman just as qawamah is a right for the man. Men must fear Allah regarding their wives' mahr and pay it in full, in accordance with His saying: ﴿O you who believe! Fulfill your obligations…﴾. The husband has no right to compel his wife to spend the mahr in a specific way unless it involves something forbidden. It is advised to resolve disputes gently and kindly to prevent Satan from interfering between the spouses.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported

Read the full answer on Ftawy
Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
9183
Imported
Translation status
Source text, unreviewed
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