Fatwa No : 92332
Who is considered the owner of the gold given to the bride at the time of marriage?

Who is considered the owner of the gold given to the bride at the time of marriage?

“Two days before the marriage, the boy’s parents and sister came to our house with clothes and two sets of gold and gave us all the items. One set was given to be worn by my daughter at the time of the nikah, and the other was a gift from the parents for their daughter-in-law. They said, ‘You may keep this with you for now; it is our gift.’
I told them to keep it with themselves, but they refused and said, ‘No, we have given it.’ Since my daughter lives in America, her jewelry has remained with me.
After the separation, the in-laws are pressuring us to return the jewelry, while my daughter does not want to give it back. Kindly provide guidance in the light of the Qur’an and Sunnah.”

الجوابُ حامِدا ًو مُصلیِّا ً

“If the details mentioned in the question are indeed correct and based on reality in the given case, then the questioner's daughter has become the rightful owner of the jewelry that the bride’s in-laws gave to her at the time of marriage as a gift. Therefore, in the case of separation, it is not correct as per Shari'a for the in-laws to demand the return of that jewelry from the girl or her parents, and this should be avoided.
However, if the jewelry was given only for wearing purposes at the wedding and was not intended as a gift, then it remains the property of the in-laws. In that case, upon separation, it is necessary and obligatory to return it to them, and it is not permissible to withhold it forcibly. This must be avoided in any case.”

مأخَذُ الفَتوی

کما فی الفتاوى الهندية: وإذا بعث الزوج إلى أهل زوجته أشياء عند زفافها منها ديباج فلما زفت إليه أراد أن يسترد من المرأة الديباج ليس له ذلك إذا بعث إليها على جهة التمليك، كذا في الفصول العمادية. جهز بنته وزوجها ثم زعم أن الذي دفعه إليها ماله وكان على وجه العارية عندها وقالت: هو ملكي جهزتني به أو قال الزوج ذلك بعد موتها فالقول قولهما دون الأب وحكى عن علي السغدي أن القول قول الأب وذكر مثله السرخسي وأخذ به بعض المشايخ وقال في الواقعات إن كان العرف ظاهرا بمثله في الجهاز كما في ديارنا فالقول قول الزوج، وإن كان مشتركا فالقول قول الأب، كذا في التبيين. قال الصدر الشهيد - رحمه الله تعالى - وهذا التفصيل هو المختار للفتوى، كذا في النهر الفائق الخ(ج:1،ص:327)