Answer
(Fatwa: 696/696=M/1429)
(1) In case the husband did not pay the dower to his wife before divorce, she has right to receive her dower from the wealth of her husband after divorce. The husband has to provide maintenance and accommodation to his wife till she completes her iddah. If the husband dies in duration of the iddah, the divorced wife will have a share in the properties left by him.
(2) According to the fatwa, the mother can keep a daughter for nourishment till she is nine years and a son till he is seven years. Afterwards, they will be handed over to the husband. The father will be responsible for all expenses of their upbringing. If the mother does not hand over the children to the father then also the father is asked to bear all their expenses, because it is the responsibility of the father to provide maintenance to his daughter until she gets married and to his son until he is mature or able to earn his livelihood, as it is written in Hidayah and other books of Fiqh.
Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) knows Best
Darul Ifta,
Darul Uloom Deoband