Mahr (Dower): Concept
& Rulings
I would like to know what is the concept
of mahr in Islam? What
should be the mahr for someone living in
Name of Mufti Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi
Content of Reply In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most
Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be
upon His Messenger.
Dear brother in Islam, we commend your keenness on getting your
self well-acquainted with Islam and its teachings, which is the way Allah has
chosen for the welfare of His servants.
In Islam, the mahr (dower) is a woman's
right and that signifies a husband's love and appreciation for his wife. There
is no fixed amount of mahr in the
The bride's guardian and family should focus on the religious
commitment and character of the suitor rather than asking for huge amounts of
dower which burdens the youths who want to get married and protect themselves
against temptations. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) never
demanded huge amounts of dower when giving his daughters in marriage. He is
also reported to have said, "The best woman is the one whose mahr is the easiest to pay." (Reported by al-Haythami)
Answering the questions you raised, Dr. Muzammil
H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society
of
“Mahr is a wife's right, which becomes
binding upon the husband once the marriage is contracted. It is fully payable
after the consummation of marriage but if divorce occurs before the
consummation of marriage then half of the Mahr is
required to be paid unless the wife or her guardians waive it. Allah says: “And
give unto the women, (whom ye marry) free gift of their marriage portions…” (An-Nisa’: 4)
He Almighty also says: “And those of whom ye seek content (by
marrying them), give unto them their portions as a duty…” (An-Nisa': 24)
Mahr is very important in Islamic
marriage. Allah has used the word "faridah"
for it. It means something fixed, decided and obligatory. It is obligatory on
the husband to pay mahr to his wife unless she
expressly by her own will without any pressure forgives him or returns the
amount of mahr to him. Mahr
belongs to the wife and it is to be given to her only. It is not the property
of her parents or her guardian. No one can forgive the husband to pay the Mahr except the wife herself or, in case she did not go to
her husband and the marriage ended without consummation, then in that situation
her guardian can also forgive the mahr on her behalf.
If a husband dies without paying mahr to his wife, it
will be an outstanding debt on him and it must be paid before the distribution
of his inheritance among his heirs.