Family Law and Personal Status
Marriage and Divorce
Personal status law governs marriage, divorce, custody, and maintenance. Know the conditions of a valid marriage (consent, capacity, dowry, witnesses), the types of divorce (by consent, by repudiation, judicial divorce), and the consequences for maintenance and custody.
Custody and Maintenance
Understand custody rules: the custodial parent's rights, the age limits for custody, and the best-interests-of-the-child principle. Know that maintenance (nafaqah) is owed to the wife during marriage and to children, and the factors courts consider in setting it.
Inheritance
Study the fixed shares (fard), residuary heirs, and the rules on wills - including the one-third limit for bequests to non-heirs. Know the rules on guardianship and the role of the personal status court.
Traps
Candidates often confuse custody with guardianship (wilaya) - they are distinct. Another trap is assuming a will can dispose of the entire estate; the one-third rule limits bequests. Questions also test whether non-Muslim expatriates may apply their own personal status law - this depends on the applicable regime and must be analysed carefully.
Rule of thumb
In custody questions, the best interests of the child govern. In inheritance questions, start with fixed shares, then distribute the residue.