How is support determined for a revocably divorced woman claiming pregnancy beyond the waiting period (Iddah)?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Maintenance (Nafaqāt)
Primary text
If a revocably divorced woman claims pregnancy and the husband provides support beyond the duration of her established waiting period, he recovers the excess amount spent. Within the waiting period itself, the ruling favors her statement, supported by an oath, because she is the most knowledgeable regarding it. If she states her menstruation has ceased but does not know the cause, her waiting period is one year if she is freeborn.
Supporting text
If she states her waiting period concluded after three purification cycles (quru') and specifies the end of the last cycle, support is due until that point, and any excess must be returned. If she claims uncertainty about the end date, calculation reverts to her established custom. If her custom is variable and inconsistent, the waiting period concludes with the shortest duration, as that is the certainty. If she claims variability without knowing the specifics, the duration reverts to the common custom of women—one cycle per month—as applied to the bewildered person in other rulings.