Is it permissible for the husband to take back the jewelry (shabaka) he presented to his wife before marriage, if the wife no longer desires him after marriage, while she is committed to paying the dower (mahr) assessed by the court? And is his taking of the jewelry without her knowledge considered theft?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If a wife divorces her husband for a known compensation, then he is entitled to nothing more than this compensation. He has no right to demand anything else from the wife's property, whether it be the remainder of her Mahr (dowry) or the gifts he previously gave her. The husband has no right to the wedding jewelry (shabka) if it was not part of the agreed-upon compensation for the khul'. If he takes it without the wife's consent, he is unlawfully consuming property, and if he takes it secretly, he is a thief.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/178395
Where this answer came from
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 178395
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy