Jurisprudential - legal studies of woman and family

Jurisprudential - legal studies of woman and family

An Examination of Methods for Resolving Spousal Disputes Regarding Claims for Restitution of Gifts: Article 803 of the Iranian Civil Code and the Perspectives of Muslim Jurists

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Azam Khoshsorat Movafagh
Assistant professor, Department of Women’s Studies, Faculty of Woman and Family, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
Abstract
Referring to general principles of dispute resolution in cases between spouses is considered one of the most common methods for settling conflicts. In the case of a dispute where the husband has given material gifts and, claiming that the gifts were for temporary use, requests their return, while the wife asserts that the gifts were donations, and both are without evidence, it seems that merely relying on the rule "the burden of proof is on the claimant, and the oath is upon the denier" may not suffice to resolve such disputes, given the evolution of certain concepts in the contemporary world as well as the various indications (amārāt) and reasons in the views of jurists. It should be noted that although, according to the majority opinion and Article 805 of the Civil Code, based on the rule "the claimant is asserting contrary to the presumption," the wife is considered the claimant, and the husband's claim is prioritized with an oath, requiring the wife to return the gifts, it must be said that, despite the arguments supporting the majority view, the assumption that the husband gave gifts to the wife only for use is contrary to appearances in today's world, and the apparent intention is donation. As a result, this is a case of "conflict between presumption and appearance," and appearance takes precedence over presumption. Therefore, the husband is regarded as the claimant and must provide evidence to prove that the gifts were not donations, yet he lacks such evidence in this case. Moreover, considering the other reasons put forth by those who oppose the right to revoke gifts, including Quranic verses, hadiths, the rule of conditions (qāʿidat al-shurūṭ), the broader interpretation of kinship, the potential for rekindling hostility by revoking gifts, especially between spouses, and the need to preserve family unity, the ground is paved for considering, in examining methods of dispute resolution, a legal-jurisprudential solution to the issue of returning or not returning gifts. This would involve relinquishing the right to revoke gifts between spouses as a legal-jurisprudential solution to balance Article 805 of the Civil Code.
Keywords
gifting
spouses
restitution of gifts
Article 805 of the Iranian Civil Code
Subjects
The Holy Quran.
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  • Receive Date 29 January 2024
  • Revise Date 17 May 2024
  • Accept Date 24 May 2024