Paying the Mahr in the Form of Maintenance

Question

Question: Back in the year ’33 Bakr married a widow for a mahr of 1,100 rupees, and it was agreed that one daughter, aged 11, would soon be married and go to her husband’s home; the second child, a boy aged 7, would live with his maternal uncle; and the third, a boy aged 3, would live with the widow. After the nikah the widow kept all three children with her, and the expenses of all of them fell on the second husband.

Answer

Whatever the husband gave her apart from the maintenance (nafaqa) of the woman and of those whose maintenance is his responsibility, it is correct to count towards the mahr. In the case asked about, since this was stated beforehand and the woman did not reject it, but rather kept acting in accordance with it, then if the said sum reached the woman over and above the obligatory…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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