How does khula work in the UAE when the husband refuses to divorce?

Khula allows you to end the marriage even though your husband refuses — that is precisely what it exists for. In essence, you ask the court to dissolve the marriage in exchange for returning the mahr you received, or paying agreed compensation; that is the trade-off your relative was hinting at. What khula does not touch is your children's rights: child maintenance, custody arrangements and the children's expenses are owed to the children, not to you, and are not bargained away in a khula. Before choosing this route, weigh the alternative: a divorce based on harm, if you can prove the serious problems you describe with evidence or witnesses, ends the marriage without you giving up the mahr. Khula is typically the path when harm is hard to prove or you want a cleaner break. The process runs through the family guidance and conciliation stage first, then to court if no settlement emerges; how long it takes varies with the court's schedule and how contested matters become — commonly months rather than weeks. A Sharia personal status lawyer can assess whether khula or a harm-based case better protects your financial position.