When does the deferred dower (*mahr al-tafwid*) for a woman whose dower was delegated become obligatory?

Primary text

The deferred dower (*mahr al-tafwid*) becomes obligatory upon the conclusion of the marriage contract. This is the established position of Abu Hanifa. The primary opinion among the associates of Al-Shafi'i agrees that it becomes obligatory upon the contract. The evidence supporting this view is that the wife gains the right to demand it immediately, similar to a specified dower (*mahr al-musamma*). Furthermore, if the dower did not become obligatory upon the contract, it would not be firmly established upon the husband's death, unlike in the case of a void contract. The marriage contract cannot legitimately be devoid of a dower, and ruling against its immediate obligation leads to the marriage being validly concluded without a dower, permitting consummation without any due payment. The reason it is not halved upon divorce (as a specified dower would be) is that Allah transferred the unspecified dower to the *mut'ah* (consolatory gift upon divorce), just as He transferred the specified dower to half its amount upon divorce.