Maintenance After Divorce
Hadith on the validity of KhulaHadith (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī):The Prophet ﷺ said to the wife of Thābit ibn Qays (رضي الله عنه):“Will you return his garden (the mahr)?”She replied: Yes.The Prophet ﷺ then said: “Accept the garden and divorce her with one divorce.”(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 5273)This shows that Khula becomes valid with mutual consent, without the need for a written contract.Hadith on maintenance after KhulaHadith (Sunan al-Tirmidhī):The Prophet ﷺ said:“There is no maintenance for her (after Khula), unless she is pregnant.”(Tirmidhī, 1185 – Ḥasan)This shows that there is no ongoing maintenance after Khula, except during pregnancy (i.e., during ‘iddah).Hadith on breaking promisesThe Prophet ﷺ said:“The signs of a hypocrite are three… when he makes a promise, he breaks it.”(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 33; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 59)Breaking a promise—especially one made at the time of divorce—is a serious sin.Hadith on cutting family tiesThe Prophet ﷺ said:“The one who cuts off family ties will not enter Paradise.”(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2556)Preventing a father from seeing his children is oppression and a form of severing family ties.SummaryKhula is established by authentic Hadith.There is no permanent maintenance after Khula.Breaking promises is sinful.Blocking a father from his children is oppression. The Khula has taken place; verbal consent is sufficient, and a written agreement is not a religious requirement. Breaking the promise (such as preventing the father from meeting the children) is Islamically sinful. After Khula, the husband is obligated to provide maintenance to the wife only during the ‘iddah period (approximately three months). After the ‘iddah ends, the wife has no right to maintenance or financial settlement under Islamic law. The financial support of the children is the father’s responsibility; if he is paying according to the government’s decision, then he is fulfilling his obligation. Demanding additional financial support beyond this is not Islamically permissible. Preventing the father from seeing his children is oppression and a form of severing family ties.