Abu Dawud

Benefits and Issues:
➊ In the first hadith (2111), the honorable woman presenting herself as a gift (hibah) to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was an attempt to attain the greatest of honors, which did not succeed. However, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) himself became her guardian (wali) and married her to a man of the Qur’an. The issue of hibah is exclusive to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) alone, and not for anyone else. In Surah Al-Ahzab it is stated: (And a believing woman if she offers herself as a gift to the Prophet, and if the Prophet wishes to marry her, this is exclusively for you and not for the believers) (: Al-Ahzab: 50). And a believing woman who offers herself to the Prophet, if the Prophet wishes to marry her, this is specifically for you and not for the believers.

➋ It is preferable for the dowry (mahr) to be in the form of wealth; even the minimum amount fulfills this purpose. All narrations that specify five or ten dirhams, etc., are not authoritative.

➌ This also shows that the marriage of an extremely poor and destitute person can be contracted.

➍ And education (ta’lim) can also be made the dowry (mahr). Imam Shafi’i, Imam Ahmad (rahimahullah), and their companions hold this view. In united India, the founders of the Jihad movement revived this Sunnah. Maulana Wilayat Ali (rahimahullah), who assumed the leadership of the Jihad movement after Shah Ismail Shaheed (rahimahullah) and presented an unparalleled example of sacrifice and resolve in this path, was also very active in the revival of the Sunnah in united India. Regarding the marriage of widows, it is noteworthy that a person named Abdul Ghani Angar Nahsawi (who was among the poor) contracted marriage with a widow, making the teaching of the Qur’an the dowry (mahr). (The First Islamic Movement of India) Imam Abu Hanifah and Imam Malik (rahimahullah) do not hold this view, as is transmitted from Mak’hool (rahimahullah) in the last narration, but this opinion is retracted.

➎ If a woman initiates her own marriage proposal, there is nothing blameworthy in it. Similarly, if a guardian (wali) himself speaks to someone regarding the girl under his care, instead of waiting for proposals to come, this too is not blameworthy.