[Q 680] Mehar & Khula: Husband’s Right

Question

What is the right of mahr when the woman demands a khula. Some institute is claiming that the man can never ask for the mahr back as part of the khula, even if there is no fault of his own in the khula demand.
Note: The questioner clarified that all the mahr has been handed over to the woman.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب اللهم هداية الحق والصواب

Answer

Islam is a complete way of life; it guides us in every aspect on our lives. Islam promotes marriage as a sacred bond that unites two people, it promotes unity and stability in the household. However, the sacred Shariah also acknowledges the nature of humans, and the fact that sometimes things do not work out, such that staying together sometimes is a means of violating each other’s rights and committing more harm than good.
In such situation it is highly encouraged to first promote reconciliation efforts; to forgive each other’s shortcomings and focus on the benefits one gains from his spouse. This is because it has been mentioned in a Hadith, that the most disliked of lawful things to Allah is divorce (Talaq).

However, if this does not work then the sacred shariah has given two main options of separation, the first being divorce and the second being Khula.

Khula is the act of the man giving a divorce in exchange of wealth from the woman, with the mentioning of the word Khula or the likes. The offer of Khula can be made by either party, however the khula can only actually take place through mutual consent and acceptance.

An importance point to note here is that it is absolutely prohibited, a sin and haram for a woman to demand Khula or Talaq without a valid Shar’i need, to the extent that there are grave warning against such a woman found in the ahadith literature; such as she will not even smell the fragrant of heaven.

Regarding the question at hand then: the Quran, the sunnah and the Hanafi Madhab are all very clear in the permissibility of the Khula being in exchange for the mahr in certain situation.

The details of which follow below:
If the transgression in the marriage is solely from the husband, then it is Makruh Tahreemi and a sin for the husband to demand any money in exchange for divorce, irrespective of the demand being a large amount, a small amount, more than the mahr, or even less than the mahr.
However if both agree on the amount more than Mehr that will be binding.

However, if the transgression is from the woman’s side, or it is from both sides then the man should only ask for the mahr back, as it is Makruh Tanzihi to demand more than the mahr.

Note: This is the general ruling, however, to ascertain who is actually committing the transgression, if the woman has a valid shar’i need or not etc, both parties are requires to sit and state their case in front a qualified Sunni Mufti of Islam.

A second thing to note, which is of upmost importance is Khula itself is not Faskh (cancellation) of the Nikah. It is a form of a Talaq so it can only be given by husband.

Evidences:

Allah states in the Quran:

“وَلَا يَحِلُّ لَكُمْ أَن تَأْخُذُوا۟ مِمَّآ ءَاتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ شَيْـًٔا إِلَّآ أَن يَخَافَآ أَلَّا يُقِيمَا حُدُودَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلَّا يُقِيمَا حُدُودَ ٱللَّهِ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِمَا فِيمَا ٱفْتَدَتْ بِهِۦ ۗ”

Translation from Kanz al-Imam:
“And it is not lawful for you to take back from the women a portion of what you have given them (i.e. dowry) except when both fear that they will not establish the limits of Allah. If you then fear that they (i.e. husband and wife) will not remain on those exact limits of Allah, so there is no sin upon them if the woman pays to get her release.”

(Surah al-Bakarah, 2:229)

Under this part of the ayah “﴿لَّا یُقِیمَا حُدُودَ ٱللَّهِ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَیۡهِمَا فِیمَا ٱفۡتَدَتۡ بِهِۦۗ﴾”, it has been stated in Tafseer Jalalayn:

“نَفْسهَا مِنْ الْمَال لِيُطَلِّقهَا أَيْ لَا حَرَج عَلَى الزَّوْج فِي أَخْذه وَلَا الزَّوْجَة فِي بَذْله”

(Tafseer al-Jalalayn, Page. 49, Cairo)

Also under this part of the Ayah it has been stated in Tafseer Qurtubi, from ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه:

“حدثني علي بن داود , قال : ثنا أبو صالح , قال : ثني معاوية , عن علي بن أبي طلحة , عن ابن عباس : { ولا يحل لكم أن تأخذوا مما آتيتموهن شيئا } إلا أن يكون النشوز وسوء الخلق من قبلها , فتدعوك إلى أن تفتدي منك , فلا جناح عليك فيما افتدت به”

(Tafseer Tabari, Vol. 4, Page. 557, Makah Tul-Mukaramah)

Imam Bukhari is Sahih Bukhari, under the chapter of Khula narrates from the prophet ﷺ:

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ «أَنَّ امْرَأَةَ ثَابِتِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ أَتَتِ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ، فَقَالَتْ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، ثَابِتُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ مَا أَعْتُِبُ عَلَيْهِ فِي خُلُقٍ وَلَا دِينٍ وَلَكِنِّي أَكْرَهُ الْكُفْرَ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ: أَتَرُدِّينَ عَلَيْهِ حَدِيقَتَهُ؟ قَالَتْ: نَعَمْ، قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ: اقْبَلِ الْحَدِيقَةَ وَطَلِّقْهَا تَطْلِيقَةً.

Translation: “Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The wife of Thābit ibn Qays came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I do not find any fault with Thābit ibn Qays regarding his character or his religion, but I dislike kufr in Islam.’
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Will you return his garden to him?’ She replied, ‘Yes.’
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Accept the garden back, and divorce her with one pronouncement.’”

(Sahih Bukhari, Chapter of al-Khul, Vol. 7, Page. 46, Beirut)

Islam promotes reconciliation; as evident from the following verse:

“وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ شِقَاقَ بَيْنِهِمَا فَٱبْعَثُوا۟ حَكَمًۭا مِّنْ أَهْلِهِۦ وَحَكَمًۭا مِّنْ أَهْلِهَآ إِن يُرِيدَآ إِصْلَـٰحًۭا يُوَفِّقِ ٱللَّهُ بَيْنَهُمَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا خَبِيرًۭا”

Translation Kanz al-Iman:
“And if you fear a dispute between husband and wife, therefore send a mediator from the man’s family and a mediator from the woman’s family; if these two desire to bring about reconciliation, so Allah will cause unity between them; indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, Well Aware.”

(Surah an-Nisa, 4:35)

Regarding the treatment of women, it has been mention in Sahih Bukhari:

“اسْتَوْصُوا بِالنِّسَاءِ، فَإِنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ خُلِقَتْ مِنْ ضِلَعٍ، وَإِنَّ أَعْوَجَ شَىْءٍ فِي الضِّلَعِ أَعْلاَهُ، فَإِنْ ذَهَبْتَ تُقِيمُهُ كَسَرْتَهُ، وَإِنْ تَرَكْتَهُ لَمْ يَزَلْ أَعْوَجَ، فَاسْتَوْصُوا بِالنِّسَاءِ”

Translation: “Treat women well, for woman was created from a rib, and the most curved part of the rib is its uppermost part. If you try to straighten it, you will break it; and if you leave it, it will remain curved. So, treat women well.”

(Sahih Buhari, Vol. 4, Page. 133, Beirut)

On the other hand regarding the disrespecting of the husband it has also been mentioned in Sahih Bukhari that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“أُرِيتُ النَّارَ فَإِذَا أَكْثَرُ أَهْلِهَا النِّسَاءُ يَكْفُرْنَ ‏”‏‏.‏ قِيلَ أَيَكْفُرْنَ بِاللَّهِ قَالَ ‏”‏ يَكْفُرْنَ الْعَشِيرَ، وَيَكْفُرْنَ الإِحْسَانَ، لَوْ أَحْسَنْتَ إِلَى إِحْدَاهُنَّ الدَّهْرَ ثُمَّ رَأَتْ مِنْكَ شَيْئًا قَالَتْ مَا رَأَيْتُ مِنْكَ خَيْرًا قَطُّ”

Translation: “”I was shown the Fire, and I saw that the majority of its inhabitants were women because they commit kufr.”
It was asked, “Do they disbelieve in Allah?”
He ﷺ replied, “They are ungrateful to their husbands, and they are ungrateful for kindness. If you were to treat one of them well for a lifetime, then she were to see something (displeasing) from you, she would say, ‘I have never seen any good from you at all.”

(Sahih Buhari, Chapter regarding ingratitude towards Husband, Vol. 1, Page. 15, Beirut)

Imam Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah, and al-Hakim رحمهم الله تعالى have all narrated from the most Beloved of Allah ﷺ:

“أبغض الحلال إلى الله تعالى الطلاق”

Translate: “The most disliked of the halal things to Allah is Talaq”

(Sunan Abi Dawood, Vol. 2, Page. 255, Beirut)

In Jami al-Tirmizi the warning against those woman who demand Talaq without a valid reason:

“أَيُّمَا امْرَأَةٍ سَأَلَتْ زَوْجَهَا طَلَاقًا مِنْ غَيْرِ بَأْسٍ فَحَرَامٌ عَلَيْهَا رَائِحَةُ الْجَنَّةِ”

Translation: “Any woman who asks her husband for a divorce without a valid reason, the fragrance of Paradise is forbidden to her.”

(Jam’i al-Tirmizi, Vol. 2, Page. 478, Beirut)

In another Hadith regarding the woman who demands Khula without a valid reason:

“عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَ: «الْمُخْتَلِعَاتُ» هُنَّ الْمُنَافِقَاتُ”

Translation:
“Those women who demand Khula (without need) are the hypocrites”
(Ibid)

The Definition of khula has been mentioned in Hindiyyah:

“الْخُلْعُ إزَالَةُ مِلْكِ النِّكَاحِ بِبَدَلٍ بِلَفْظِ الْخُلْعِ كَذَا فِي فَتْحِ الْقَدِيرِ وَقَدْ يَصِحُّ بِلَفْظِ الْبَيْعِ وَالشِّرَاءِ وَقَدْ يَكُونُ بِالْفَارِسِيَّةِ كَذَا فِي الظَّهِيرِيَّةِ”

(Fatawa al-Hindiyyah, Vol. 1, Page. 448, Beirut)

A khula is considered as a talaq from the man as mentioned in Kitab al-Asl of Imam Muhammad al-Shaybani:

“وإذا اختلعت المرأة من زوجها فالخلع تطليقة بائنة”

(kitab al-Asal, Vol. 4, Page. 549, Beirut)

If only the husband is at fault, then he cannot take any money, however if this is not the case then he should take up to the value of Mahr as mention in the famous Hanafi text al-Hidayah:

“”وإن كان النشوز من قبله يكره له أن يأخذ منها عوضا” لقوله تعالى: ﴿وَإِنْ أَرَدْتُمُ اسْتِبْدَالَ زَوْجٍ مَكَانَ زَوْجٍ﴾ إلى أن قال ﴿فَلا تَأْخُذُوا مِنْهُ شَيْئاً﴾ [النساء: من الآية ٢٠] ولأنه أوحشها بالاستبدال فلا يزيد في وحشتها بأخذ المال “وإن كان النشوز منها كرهنا له أن يأخذ منها أكثر مما أعطاها”

(Kitab al-Hidayah, Vol. 2, Page. 261, Beirut)

The same is in Dur al-Mukhtar:

“(وكره) تحريما (أخذ شيء…إن نشز وإن نشزت لا) ولو منه نشوز أيضا ولو بأكثر مما أعطاها على الأوجه…الملتقى لا بأس به يفيد أنها تنزيمية”

(Rad al-Muhtar, Vol. 5, Page. 95, Beirut)

The same is in Fatawa Hindiyyah:

“إنْ كَانَ النُّشُوزُ مِنْ قِبَلِ الزَّوْجِ فَلَا يَحِلُّ لَهُ أَخْذُ شَيْءٍ مِنْ الْعِوَضِ عَلَى الْخُلْعِ وَهَذَا حُكْمُ الدِّيَانَةِ فَإِنْ أَخَذَ جَازَ ذَلِكَ فِي الْحُكْمُ وَلَزِمَ حَتَّى لَا تَمْلِكَ اسْتِرْدَادَهُ كَذَا فِي الْبَدَائِعِ.
وَإِنْ كَانَ النُّشُوزُ مِنْ قِبَلِهَا كَرِهْنَا لَهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا أَعْطَاهَا مِنْ الْمَهْرِ وَلَكِنْ مَعَ هَذَا يَجُوزُ أَخْذُ الزِّيَادَةِ فِي الْقَضَاءِ كَذَا فِي غَايَةِ الْبَيَانِ”

(Fatawa al-Hindiyah, Vol. 2, Page. 261, Beirut)

It has been mentioned in Fatawa Ridawiyah:

“In the Shariah, Khula is the husband willingly separating from the woman in exchange for mahr or some other wealth”

(Fatawa Ridawiyah, Vol.13, Page. 363, Raza Foundation, Lahore)

It has been mentioned in Bahar e Shariat:
“If the Khula is done upon mahr then the women will return the mahr”

(Bahar e Shariat, Vol. 2, Page. 196, Maktaba Tul Madinah, Karachi)

Answered by: Aqib Madani (AskMufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated answer
Date: 25th July 2026