Article 1 of the Saudi Alimony Fund Statute

This is the definitions article of the Alimony Fund Statute, and it fixes the meanings of words wherever they appear in it, unless the context requires another meaning:

• The Statute: the Alimony Fund Statute.
• The Regulations: the Implementing Regulations of the Statute.
• The Fund: the Alimony Fund.
• The Board: the board of directors of the Fund.
• Alimony: money a person must spend on whoever is entitled to it under Sharia.
• The beneficiary: whoever is entitled to alimony under the provisions of the Statute.

Two important notes:

• The definition of alimony refers to Sharia in determining to whom alimony is due and who owes it, so the Statute does not create the right to alimony but deals with a right established by Sharia.
• The definition of beneficiary is narrower; not everyone who has alimony under Sharia is automatically a beneficiary of the Fund, but only whoever is entitled to it under the provisions of the Statute and its conditions.

Anyone who wants to know whether his situation falls within the Fund's scope would do well to consult a lawyer who specializes in personal status.