Back to search

What are the legitimate rights of a wife regarding her deferred dower (mu'akhar), alimony (nafaqa), and list of movables (qa'imat manqulat) in the event of her divorce, and what is the extent of validity in mixing customary laws in Egypt with the rulings of Islamic law concerning marriage and divorce?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

An undivorced woman who has not been consummated is entitled to half of her dowry. As for a divorced woman whose marriage has been consummated, she is entitled to the full dowry, as well as maintenance and housing during her waiting period (iddah) if the divorce is revocable. However, if the divorce is irrevocable, she is not entitled to maintenance or housing, unless she is pregnant, in which case she should be maintained until she gives birth, as Allah Almighty says: "And if they are pregnant, then spend on them until they deliver their burden." Compensation (mut'ah) is obligatory for every divorced woman, and its amount is determined by the spouses based on their financial capacity, as Allah Almighty says: "And provide for them, he who is of ample means according to his means, and he who is restricted in means according to his means." The husband's movable possessions are his property unless he gifts them or they were part of the dowry, while the wife's movable possessions are her right. If the divorce is requested by the wife without harm [caused by the husband], the husband may demand her to absolve him from some or all of his rights.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy