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Does the husband remain liable of paying dowry if the wife after exhausting herself of attaining it fails and says out of anger which she does not mean “don’t give me”?

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Askimam.org

If a wife lends a large amount of money to her husband and als his still owing her the mahr.a year passes and she asks for it and he says how can you as a wife demand for this. Then a heated up argument rises and due to his anger and hers she says angrily don’t give me but she doesn’t mean it.then the husband takes that advantage of that statement and says now never ask me..Or else. He threatens her.so in this does the husband owe the wife or it’s cancelled?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykumwa-rahmatullāhiwa-barakātuh.

According to the context of the discussion, it is clear that the wife did not mean to absolve her husband from the debt and dowry. Shariah has emphasised on paying ones debt timeously. There are severe warnings for not paying ones debt. Consider the following hadith:

عَنْ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ الأَكْوَعِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أُتِيَ بِجَنَازَةٍ، لِيُصَلِّيَ عَلَيْهَا، فَقَالَ ‏”‏ هَلْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ دَيْنٍ ‏”‏‏.‏ قَالُوا لاَ‏.‏ فَصَلَّى عَلَيْهِ، ثُمَّ أُتِيَ بِجَنَازَةٍ أُخْرَى، فَقَالَ ‏”‏ هَلْ عَلَيْهِ مَنْ دَيْنٍ ‏”‏‏.‏ قَالُوا نَعَمْ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ صَلُّوا عَلَى صَاحِبِكُمْ ‏”‏‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو قَتَادَةَ عَلَىَّ دَيْنُهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ‏.‏ فَصَلَّى عَلَيْه(بخاري) ‏‏

Translation: Narrated Salama bin Al-Akwa`:

A dead person was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ) so that he might lead the funeral prayer for him. He asked, “Is he in debt?” When the people replied in the negative, he led the funeral prayer. Another dead person was brought and he asked, “Is he in debt?” They said, “Yes.” He (refused to lead the prayer and) said, “Lead the prayer of your friend.” Abu Qatada said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! I undertake to pay his debt.” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) then led his funeral prayer. (Bukhari)

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ نَفْسُ الْمُؤْمِنِ مُعَلَّقَةٌ بِدَيْنِهِ حَتَّى يُقْضَى عَنْهُ ‏(ترميزي) ‏.‏

Translation: Abu Hurairah narrated that:

The Messenger of Allah said: “The believer’s soul is suspended by his debt until it is settled for him.”(Tirmidhi)

وعن عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص رضي الله عنهما أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ ‏”‏يغفر الله للشهيد كل شيء إلا الدين‏”‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.

Translation: Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-‘As (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Allah forgives every sin of a martyr, except his debt.(muslim)

Furthermore, Mahr is the right of the wife and is most deserving of being paid. Consider the following hadith:

عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِر ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ أَحَقُّ الشُّرُوطِ أَنْ تُوفُوا بِهِ مَا اسْتَحْلَلْتُمْ بِهِ الْفُرُوجَ ‏”(ُبخاري)

Translation: Uqbah ibne Aamir Radhiyallahu Anhu narrates: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “From among all the conditions which you have to fulfill, the conditions which make it legal for you to have sexual relations (i.e. the marriage contract) have the greatest right to be fulfilled.

It is most unfortunate that the husband in reference threatens his wife when she made ihsaan (favour) on him by offering him a debt and now when she requests repayment, she is abused. The husband in reference is suffering a serious complex and requires proper counselling to reform himself. 

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Zakir Husain

Student DarulIftaa
Michigan, U.S.A

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

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 (1) وَلَا بُدَّ فِي صِحَّةِ حَطِّهَا مِنْ الرِّضَا حَتَّى لَوْ كَانَتْ مُكْرَهَةً لَمْ يَصِحَّ، وَلِذَا قَالَ فِي الْخُلَاصَةِ مِنْ كِتَابِ الْهِبَةِ إذَا خَوَّفَ امْرَأَتَهُ بِضَرْبٍ حَتَّى وَهَبَتْ مَهْرَهَا لَا يَصِحُّ إنْ كَانَ قَادِرًا عَلَى الضَّرْبِ. اهـ. وَفِي الْقُنْيَةِ مِنْ الْإِكْرَاهِ تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً سِرًّا وَأَرَادَ أَنْ تُبْرِئَهُ مِنْ الْمَهْرِ فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا أَصْدِقَاؤُهُ وَقَالُوا لَهَا إمَّا أَنْ تُبْرِئِيهِ مِنْ الْمَهْرِ وَإِلَّا قُلْنَا لِلشِّحْنَةِ كَذَا، وَكَذَا فَيَسْوَدُّ وَجْهُك فَأَبْرَأَتْهُ خَوْفًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَهُوَ إكْرَاهٌ وَلَا يَبْرَأُ(البحر الرائق،دار الكتاب الإسلامي ٣/١٦١)

والمهر يتأكد بأحد معان ثلاثة: الدخول ‘والخلوة الصحيحة ‘وموت أحد الزوجين‘سواء كان مسمي أو مهر المثل، حتي لا يسقط منه شيء بعد ذلك إلا باالإبراء من صاحب الحق(الفتاوي العالمكيرية،رشيدية ١/٣٠٣ 

وَمِنْهَا وُجُوبُ الْمَهْرِ عَلَيْهِ، وَمِنْهَا وُجُوبُ النَّفَقَةِ وَالْكِسْوَةِ، وَمِنْهَا حُرْمَةُ الْمُصَاهَرَةِ، وَمِنْهَا الْإِرْثُ مِنْ الْجَانِبَيْنِ، وَمِنْهَا وُجُوبُ الْعَدْلِ بَيْنَ النِّسَاءِ فِي حُقُوقِهِنَّ، وَمِنْهَا وُجُوبُ طَاعَتِهِ عَلَيْهَا إذَا دَعَاهَا إلَى الْفِرَاشِ، وَمِنْهَا وِلَايَةُ تَأْدِيبِهَا إذَا لَمْ تُطِعْهُ بِأَنْ نَشَزَتْ، وَمِنْهَا اسْتِحْبَابُ مُعَاشَرَتِهَا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ(البحر الرائق،دار الكتاب الإسلامي ٣/٨٤)

وإن حطّت المرأة أي الزوج من مهرها المسمي في العقد ولو كله:صح الحط لأنه حقها بقاء كما مر سواء قبل الزوج أو لا ويرتد بالرد (أي كهيئة الدين ممن عليه الدين ‘اذ الرجوع بالهبة يجوز مع الكراهة ينظر ابن عابدين ٨/٣٨٧، البحر الرائق ٣/١٦١) (لباب في شرح الكتاب،دار البشائر ٤/٣٩)


This answer was collected from Askimam.org, which is operated under the supervision of Mufti Ebrahim Desai from South Africa.