Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (13/479)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

on the basis of legal evidence. The legal evidence is as follows: maintenance is in return for marital enjoyment. Thus, whenever the woman deprives the husband of marital enjoyment, or of its full measure, without his consent, her maintenance is forfeited. But when she does so only with his permission, it is not forfeited, because he has consented to it. This is the principle required by the legal proofs.

His statement: “No maintenance or housing is due to a woman whose husband has died.” This is the third category mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, when we said that women observing a waiting period fall into three categories: one category is entitled to housing and maintenance in all circumstances—the revocably divorced woman; another is entitled to neither maintenance nor housing unless she is pregnant—the woman irrevocably separated while her husband is alive; and a third is entitled to neither maintenance nor housing whatsoever—the woman whose husband has died, who is irrevocably separated by death.

With regard to the deceased person, should we say mutawaffā, the passive participle, or mutawaffī, the active participle? The proper expression is mutawaffā, as Allah Most High says: “Allah takes the souls at the time of their death” [al-Zumar 39:42], and: “Say, ‘The Angel of Death, who has been entrusted with you, will take you in death’” [al-Sajdah 32:11]. Thus, the deceased is mutawaffā. It is also possible to say mutawaffī, in the sense that he has received his full appointed term and provision.

A woman whose husband has died is entitled to neither maintenance nor housing, even if she is pregnant. If she is not pregnant, the matter is clear, because the marriage has ended irrevocably. But if she is pregnant, she is likewise not entitled to maintenance.

If it is asked: What is the difference between her and a woman irrevocably separated while her husband is still alive?

The answer is that, in the case of a woman irrevocably separated while her husband is alive—if she is pregnant—we obliged her husband to spend on her from his own wealth. As for a woman whose husband has died,

بمقتضى دليل شرعي، والدليل الشرعي هو أن يقال: هذه النفقة في مقابل الاستمتاع، فمتى فوتت المرأة الاستمتاع أو كماله على الزوج بدون رضاً منه سقطت نفقتها، ومتى لم تفوته إلاّ بإذنه فإنها لا تسقط؛ لأنه راضٍ بذلك، هذه هي القاعدة التي هي مقتضى الأدلة الشرعية. قوله: «ولا نفقة ولا سكنى لمتوفى عنها» هذا هو القسم الثالث الذي أشرنا إليه في أول الفصل حين قلنا: إن المعتدات ثلاثة أقسام: قسم لها السكنى والنفقة بكل حال وهي الرجعية، وقسم ليس لها نفقة ولا سكنى إلاّ إن كانت حاملاً، وهي البائن في الحياة، وقسم ليس لها نفقة ولا سكنى مطلقاً وهي المتوفى عنها، وهي البائن بالموت. وهل نقول في الميت: «مُتَوَفًّى» اسم مفعول، أو نقول: «مُتَوفٍّ» اسم فاعل؟ الأصل أن يقال: متوفًّى؛ لقوله تعالى: ﴿اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الأَنْفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا﴾ [الزمر: ٤٢]، وقوله: ﴿قُلْ يَتَوفَّاكُمْ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ الَّذِي وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ﴾ [السجدة: ١١] فالميت متوفًّى، ويمكن أن يقال: متوفٍّ، بمعنى أنه استوفى أجله ورزقه. فالمتوفى عنها زوجها لا نفقة لها، ولا سكنى، ولو كانت حاملاً، أما إذا لم تكن حاملاً فالأمر ظاهر؛ لأنها بانت، وأما إن كانت حاملاً فلا نفقة لها أيضاً. فإن قيل: أي فرق بينها وبين البائن في حال الحياة؟ الجواب: أن البائن في حال الحياة ـ إذا كانت حاملاً ـ أوجبنا الإنفاق على زوجها في ماله، وأمَّا المتوفى عنها زوجها