Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia‘s court has ordered a man to pay dowry to his ex-wife 33 years after they got married, local media reported.
The court order came after woman in her 50’s filed a lawsuit before the personal status court, in which she stated that she had gotten married 33 years ago and had five children before her marriage ended, and that she had not received her dowry of 50,000 Saudi riyals since that time.
According to Arabic daily Okaz, the woman explained the court that she had not claimed the dowry before because her ex-husband was a stock trader and needed the cash for his business, but he did not fulfill his promise to pay her the dowry.
At the hearing, the man denied the woman’s claim of not receiving her dowry, citing her silence on the case for 33 years. He alleged that his remarriage prompted his ex-wife to file the lawsuit.
It is reported that after considering the matter, the court ruled that the woman is entitled to the dowry stipulated in the marriage contract, and ordered the man to pay it.
Islamic law required the groom to pay a dowry, or mahar, as a gift of money or goods to his future wife at the time of the wedding.
Islam does not specify maximum or minimum rates and limits for dowry but recommends moderation. The average dowry for middle-class families in Saudi Arabia is 30,000 Saudi riyals,but it can reach hundreds of thousands of riyals for the wealthy.
