Chapter: The Conditions Under Which Maintenance is Obligatory Upon the Husband
1393 - Issue: He said, may Allah have mercy on him: (And if he marries a woman whose like is capable of intercourse, and she does not deny herself to him, nor do her guardians prevent him, maintenance becomes obligatory upon him.)
The sum of this is that a woman is entitled to maintenance from her husband based on two conditions: One of them is that she be of an age where intercourse is possible. If she is a minor who cannot withstand intercourse, she has no right to maintenance. This is the position held by Al-Hasan, Bakr ibn Abd Allah al-Muzani, Al-Nakha'i, Ishaq, Abu Thawr, and the Ashab al-Ra'y (the Hanafi scholars). This is also the explicit text (nass) from Al-Shafi'i. However, he stated in one instance: "If it were said that she has a right to maintenance, it would be a valid scholarly opinion," which is the view of Al-Thawri, because the impossibility of intercourse was not due to her actions, and thus it does not prevent the obligation of maintenance, just like illness. Our position is that maintenance is made obligatory by the enabling of sexual enjoyment (tamkin), and this cannot be conceived when sexual enjoyment is impossible; therefore, her maintenance is not obligatory, just as if her guardians prevented him from taking custody of her. By this, their argument is invalidated, and it differs from the case of an ill wife, for sexual enjoyment with her is possible, and it is merely diminished by the illness. Furthermore, whoever does not enable her husband to possess her, the husband is not obliged to provide her maintenance; this case is even more appropriate because in the case of the ill wife, the husband is able to compel her and enjoy her against her will, whereas in this case, that is not possible under any circumstances. The second condition is that she offers complete enabling (tamkin) of herself to her husband. As for if she denies herself, or her guardians prevent her, or they both remain silent after the contract and she does not offer it and he does not request it, then she has no maintenance, even if they remain for a period of time, for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married Aisha, and she entered upon him after two years, and he did not provide for her until after his entry, and he did not commit to her maintenance for what had passed.
(1) In B: "wa yumkin" (and it is possible). (2) In A and M: "mansus" (explicit text). (3) In M: "biha" (with her). (4) In B: "yalzam" (becomes obligatory). (5) Its takhrij (source documentation) was previously mentioned in: 9/398. To it is added: It was also recorded by Al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter on the Marriage of a Man's Young Children, and the Chapter of whoever = it continued in the next context: = consummated marriage with a woman while she was nine years old, from the Book of Marriage. Sahih al-Bukhari 7/22, 27, 28. And Al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on a Man Marrying Off His Young Daughter, from the Book of Marriage. Al-Mujtaba 6/67. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 6/210, 280. (6) In B: "ba'da" (after). (7) In the original manuscript: "sharatat" (she stipulated). (8) In B and M: "al-istimta'" (sexual enjoyment). (9) Omitted from: B. (10) In M: "nafaqatuhu" (his maintenance of her). (11) In the original manuscript: "fa-tasallamaha" (and he took custody of her). And in M: "wa sallamaha" (and he delivered her).
