At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Global / Diaspora
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Family, marriage and kinshipLaw and courts
Summary
From al-Baqara 2:233, Sha'rawi holds that maintenance and clothing fall on the father, and are owed in the first place to divorced nursing mothers rather than to wives in general, measured by custom and without charging anyone beyond capacity. 1
Divorced mothers, not all wives
Sha'rawi answers those who read the maintenance as owed to wives in general, and says that here it is owed to the divorced mothers who nurse. 1
Why the father
Sha'rawi notes that the verse says 'the one to whom the child is born' rather than 'the father', placing the duty on him because the child is attributed to him. 1
No charge beyond capacity, no harm
The verse states that no soul is charged beyond its capacity, so the mother should not burden the father beyond his means, and the father should not withhold maintenance so as to harm her. 2
The heir's duty
If the father dies, the same duty falls on his heir, and so responsibility passes to whoever inherits guardianship of the father's property. 2
Opinions on the question
The question: On whom does the maintenance of the divorced nursing mother and infant fall, and to whom is it owed?
First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference
The father bears the upkeep, measured by custom and capacity
Held by: Muhammad Mutawalli al-Sha'rawi
Connections
- Related to
- Breastfeeding and weaning· Qur'an 2:233· Divorce (talaq)
People and things also explored
Divorce before consummation· Iddah (waiting period)· Breastfeeding and weaning· Milk-kinship prohibition (rada')· Divorce (talaq)· Raj'a (the return to the world)· Muwatta 1581· Muwatta 1582
Sources
- Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.1005
- Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.1006
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Maintenance of the divorced nursing mother and infant”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/maintenance-after-divorce/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.