Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (12/293)

until he takes it. But if she has not received it, then understand it as: “then half of what you specified is due from you,” so that she may take it.

Allah the Exalted says, “before you have touched them,” meaning: before you have intercourse with them. Allah has thus made the ruling contingent upon intercourse, whereas we say: before consummation or seclusion. This means that if he has been alone with her but has not had intercourse with her, she is entitled to half.

If someone were to ask: How can she be entitled to half when the verse makes the ruling contingent upon intercourse? There is undoubtedly an evident difference between intercourse and seclusion. Through intercourse, he has taken pleasure in her, enjoyed her, and made her private part lawful for himself; thus she becomes entitled to the bridal gift. But through mere seclusion, he has not received the full consideration from her, so how can it establish her entitlement?

We reply: the majority of the scholars hold this view, and a consensus of the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—has been reported on it: if he has been alone with her, she is entitled to the full bridal gift. They therefore treated seclusion like intercourse. A report from Imam Ahmad has been mentioned which ought to serve as a governing principle. He said: because he has made lawful for himself from her that which is not lawful for anyone else. For this reason, they said that if he touches her with desire, or looks at something which no one but the husband may look at, such as her private part, she is entitled to the full bridal gift, because he has made lawful for himself from her that which is not lawful for anyone else.

This report is the authoritative position of the school: if a husband has made lawful for himself from his wife that which is not lawful for anyone else—whether through intercourse, seclusion, touching, kissing, or looking at that which no one else may look at, such as her private part—then the bridal gift becomes fully due.

Some scholars hold that the bridal gift becomes fully due through intercourse.

حتى يأخذه، وإن كانت لم تقبضه فقدر: «فنصف ما فرضتم عليكم» لأجل أن تأخذه. وقوله تعالى: ﴿مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَمَسُّوهُنَّ﴾ أي: تجامعوهن، فعلق الله ﷾ الحكم بالجماع، ونحن نقول: قبل الدخول والخلوة، ومعنى ذلك أنه إذا خلا بها ولم يجامع فلها النصف. فإذا قال قائل: كيف يكون لها النصف، والآية علقت الحكم بالجماع؟ ولا شك أن هناك فرقاً ظاهراً بين الجماع والخلوة، فالجماع تلذذ بها، واستمتع بها، واستحل فرجها، فاستحقت المهر، لكن مجرد الخلوة لم يحصل له بها العوض كاملاً، فكيف تكون موجبة؟! نقول: إن أكثر أهل العلم على هذا الرأي، وحكي إجماع الصحابة ﵃ على ذلك، أنه إذا خلا بها فلها المهر كاملاً، فجعلوا الخلوة كالجماع، وقد ذكر عن الإمام أحمد رواية ينبغي أن تكون قاعدة، قال: لأنه استحل منها ما لا يحل لغيره، ولهذا قالوا: لو مسَّها بشهوة، أو نظر إلى شيء لا ينظر إليه إلا الزوج كالفرج، فإنها تستحق المهر كاملاً؛ لأنه استحل منها ما لا يحل لغيره، وهذه الرواية هي المذهب، وهي أنه إذا استحل الزوج من امرأته ما لا يحل لغيره من جماع، أو خلوة، أو لمس، أو تقبيل، أو نظر إلى ما لا ينظر إليه سواه، كالفرج، فإن المهر يتقرر كاملاً. وذهب بعض أهل العلم إلى أن المهر يتقرر كاملاً بالجماع