Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (12/280)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

If he divorces her before consummation, after the bridal gift has been received, he may recover one thousand, and neither of them has any claim against the father. But if that is stipulated for someone other than the father, then the entire stipulated amount belongs to her. Whoever marries off his daughter—even if she has previously been married—for less than her customary bridal gift, the marriage is valid, …

His statement, “If he divorces her before consummation, after the bridal gift has been received, he may recover one thousand, and neither of them has any claim against the father,” means that he marries her for two thousand: one thousand for her and one thousand for her father. He pays the two thousand, so the father receives one thousand and the daughter receives one thousand. He then divorces her before consummation, in which case the bridal gift is divided equally. We say: You are entitled to one thousand from the daughter, so take it from her. As for the one thousand received by the father, he has acquired ownership of it, and you have no claim against him for any of it.

Another example: if the bridal gift is four thousand, and the father stipulates three thousand for himself, leaving one thousand for the daughter, then he divorces her before consummation, he may recover two thousand from the daughter. As for the father, he keeps the three thousand without any liability. The reason is that the father acquired it from her, not from the husband. The husband did not give the bridal gift to the father; rather, he gave it to the daughter. Accordingly, the father acquired it through her, and the husband has no connection with the father. He therefore takes half from her; and if she wishes, she may seek reimbursement from her father. But if she is unable to do so, the father bears no liability. This is the view adopted by the jurists.

There is another view in this matter: that he recovers half of the bridal gift, taking from each of them half of what he paid. Thus, in the first example, he takes five hundred from the father and five hundred from the daughter. This is undoubtedly closer to justice, because the bridal gift is a bridal gift in terms of its amount, type, and description: its amount is two thousand, its type is riyals, and its description is that half is for the father and half for the wife. Therefore, you are entitled to half of it in amount, type, and description.

His statement, “even if that is stipulated,” means: one thousand for her and one thousand for her guardian.

فَلَوْ طَلَّقَ قَبْلَ الدُّخُولِ وَبَعْدَ القَبْضِ رَجَعَ بِالأَلْفِ، وَلَا شَيءَ عَلَى الأَبِ لَهُمَا، وَلَوْ شُرِطَ ذَلِكَ لِغَيْرِ الأَبِ فَكُلُّ الْمُسَمَّى لَهَا، وَمَنْ زَوَّجَ بِنْتَهُ وَلَوْ ثَيِّباً بِدُونِ مَهْرِ مِثْلِهَا صَحَّ، ....... قوله: «فلو طلق قبل الدخول وبعد القبض رجع بالألف، ولا شيء على الأب لهما» أي: تزوجها بألفين، ألف لها وألف لأبيها وسلَّم الألفين، فأعطى الأب ألفاً وأعطى البنت ألفاً، ثم طلقها قبل الدخول، فيتنصف المهر، نقول: لك ألف على البنت خذها، وأما الألف الذي أخذه الأب فقد ملكه، فليس لك منه شيء. مثال آخر: لو أن الصداق أربعة آلاف، وشرط الأب لنفسه ثلاثة يبقي للبنت ألف، ثم طلقها قبل الدخول، يرجع بألفين على البنت، وأما الأب يأخذ ثلاثة آلاف بدون شيء، والعلة أن الأب ملكه من قبلها، ما ملكه من قبل الزوج، فالزوج ما أصدق الأب إنما أصدق البنت، فعلى هذا يكون الأب ملكه من جهتها، والزوج لا يعرف الأب، فيأخذ النصف منها، وهي إن شاءت رجعت على أبيها، وإن لم تتمكن فما على الأب شيء، وهذا ما ذهب إليه الفقهاء ﵏ وفي المسألة قول آخر: أنه يرجع بنصف المهر فيأخذ من كل منهما نصف ما دفع، فيأخذ من الأب في المثال الأول خمسمائة، ومن البنت خمسمائة، وهذا لا شك أقرب إلى العدل؛ لأن المهر مهر بقدره، وجنسه، ووصفه، وقدره ألفان، وجنسه ريالات، ووصفه نصف للأب ونصف للزوجة، إذاً لك نصفه قدراً، وجنساً، ووصفاً. قوله: «ولو شرط ذلك» يعني ألفاً لها، وألفاً لوليها.