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If the husband becomes insolvent and she chooses to wait, the amount owed turns into a debt against him; if she does not, she may petition for the marriage to be annulled, which is the predominant view. The sounder position, however, is that no annulment is granted when a solvent husband withholds maintenance, whether he is present or absent. Even if he is present but his money is elsewhere, she may annul only when that money lies beyond the distance at which prayers are shortened; otherwise she may not, and the judge orders him to bring his funds. Should someone else volunteer to support her, she is not obliged to accept. His ability to earn a living is treated like actual wealth, and dissolution is allowed only when he cannot meet even the subsistence-level maintenance of a poor man. Inability to supply clothing has the same legal effect as inability to supply food, and—according to the sounder view—so does inability to provide condiments and lodging.

I add: The stronger opinion is that condiments do not count, and Allah knows best. Concerning his inability to pay the dower, there are several opinions; the most persuasive is that she may annul before consummation but not afterward. No annulment is effected until a judge confirms the husband’s insolvency and either dissolves the marriage himself or authorizes her to do so. One opinion holds that the dissolution takes effect immediately, but the more reliable view grants him a three-day grace period; she may annul on the morning of the fourth day unless he has delivered her allowance. If two days pass without maintenance, he pays on the third, and then becomes unable again on the fourth, the marriage is deemed dissolved—though another view says the count must start afresh. During the grace period she may leave the house to procure maintenance but must return at night. Even if she accepts his poverty, or marries him knowing of it, she still retains the right to annul later; however, if she specifically waives the dower, that right lapses. A guardian may not annul on behalf of a minor girl or an insane woman because of the husband’s inability to provide dower or maintenance.

If the husband of a slave woman becomes insolvent, she may annul; should she consent to stay, the master—according to the sounder view—has no right to force a dissolution, though he may compel her by withholding support and telling her, “Either annul or starve.”

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A man is obliged to maintain his father, no matter how far up the line, and his children, no matter how far down, even if they differ in religion, provided he himself possesses sufficient means.