the dowry has been specified; a woman divorced before consummation but after the dowry has been specified; and a woman divorced after consummation, whether or not the dowry has been specified.
As for a woman divorced before consummation and before the dowry has been specified, Allah, Exalted is He, explicitly mentions giving her a consolatory gift in His Book, saying:
“There is no blame upon you if you divorce women before you have touched them or specified a dowry for them.” [Al-Baqara: 236]
This means: “and have not specified a dowry for them.”
“And give them a gift—the wealthy according to his means and the poor according to his means—a reasonable provision, a duty upon those who do good.” [Al-Baqara: 236]
His words, “And give them a gift” [Al-Baqara: 236], constitute a command to give this provision. A command entails obligation unless accompanied by an indication that shifts it from obligation to recommendation. This command is accompanied by indications that recommendation is intended. Among them is His singling out those who do good, rather than others, in His words: “A duty upon those who do good.” [Al-Baqara: 236] None but Allah Most High knows who does good and who does not, for doing good is a matter between the servant and his Creator. Since He made the consolatory gift dependent upon a quality known only to Him, this indicates that Allah has not required judges to enforce it: He has given them no means of distinguishing those commanded to give it from others. The divorcing husband is told, “Give her a gift if you are among those who do good.” It is therefore incumbent upon him to give it and not exclude himself from their ranks.
Furthermore, its amount is neither fixed nor specified, whereas obligatory dues must have a fixed, specified amount.
Moreover, Allah, Exalted is He, singled out the man who divorces before consummation and before specifying the dowry, declaring him free of blame, unlike others who divorce after consummation or before consummation but after specifying the dowry. He says:
“There is no blame upon you if you divorce women before you have touched them or specified a dowry for them.” [Al-Baqara: 236]
This indicates that He singled out this woman for mention only because she may be divorced without anything becoming due to her as a result of the divorce, and some people felt scruples about divorcing in these circumstances for that reason. Allah knows best. If a consolatory gift were obligatory for her when divorced in these circumstances—just as half the dowry is obligatory for a woman divorced before consummation but after the dowry has been specified, and the entire dowry is obligatory for a woman divorced after consummation—no one would have felt scruples about divorcing her in these circumstances, just as they felt none about divorcing her in other circumstances. There would then have been no point in singling out this case, rather than the others, to declare the husband free of blame for divorcing her. Allah knows best.