Scholarly Opinions and Differences Regarding Dowry

Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that once the Prophet (peace be upon him) said in a sermon: "Arrange marriages for unmarried people." A man stood up and asked, "O Messenger of Allah! What will be their dowries?" The Prophet replied, "Whatever their families are pleased with."

The grandfather of Hazrat Ibn Abi Labeebah narrates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever made a woman lawful (for marriage) even with one dirham, she became lawful for him." The verdict of Hazrat Waki’ was also the same, that giving one dirham as mahr is also permissible.

17155 - He said: And I heard Waki‘ (giving a fatwa) (1) about it, saying: He may marry her for one dirham.

Hazrat Amir bin Rabi’ah narrates that during the Prophetic era, a man married a woman in exchange for two shoes as mahr, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) declared this marriage valid.

Hazrat Sahl bin Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) married a man to a woman on the condition that he would teach her a surah from the Holy Qur’an as her dowry.

Hazrat Saeed bin Musayyib says that if a woman agrees to accept a whip (lash) as her dower, then that will become her dower.

Hazrat Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Auf (may Allah be pleased with him) contracted marriage in exchange for a nugget of gold, and that nugget was equal to three dirhams and one third of a dirham.

Hasan says that whatever amount of mahr the husband and wife agree upon is sufficient as mahr.

Hazrat Ata, regarding the person who marries for ten dirhams, used to say that Muslims used to marry for less than this and for more than this as well.

Hazrat Salih bin Muslim says that I asked Sha'bi, "If a person marries a woman in exchange for one dirham, what is the ruling?" He replied, "A piece of cloth or something similar is better."

Ibn Aun reports that I asked Hasan about the minimum amount of dowry, so he replied: A gold nugget or anything equivalent to it.

Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Do not give women excessive dowries, because if it were something honorable in this world or a cause of piety, then Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his family would have been most deserving of it. However, he married off all his daughters and married all his wives for twelve uqiyah of silver.

It is narrated similarly through another chain of transmission.

Hazrat Muhammad bin Ibrahim states that the dowry of the daughters of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his wives was five hundred dirhams.

Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the dowry is not less than ten dirhams.

Hazrat Nafi' reports that Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) forbade giving more than four hundred as mahr to women.

Ibrahim considered it undesirable to contract marriage for a dowry less than forty dirhams, while Hazrat Hakam saw no harm in it.

17170 - And Al-Hakam saw no harm in it] (1).

Hazrat Nafi' narrates that Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) married Safiyyah for four hundred dirhams. Safiyyah sent him a message that such a dowry is not sufficient. Then Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) secretly added two hundred dirhams without informing Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).

Hazrat Saeed bin Musayyib says that the Sunnah in marriage is twelve full uqiyah and half an uqiyah of silver, and this amounts to five hundred dirhams.

Hazrat Abu Saeed says that it is not obligatory for a man to marry with a small or large amount of wealth; mutual consent is sufficient.

Hazrat Saeed bin Musayyib says that if a man gives a whip as mahr to a woman, it is sufficient.

Hazrat Ishaq bin Abdullah bin Abi Talha Ansari narrates that the Prophet ﷺ married Hazrat Sawda bint Zam'a in exchange for a room which had come to him as inheritance from one of his wives.

Ibrahim considered it undesirable that the dowry of women be set like the wage of a prostitute, as one or two dirhams.

Hazrat Sha'bi states that the early scholars disliked that a woman's dowry (mahr) be less than three uqiyah.

Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said: The most blessed marriage is the one in which the expenses are the least.

Hazrat Muhammad bin Ibrahim Taimi narrates that Abu Hadard Aslami sought help from the Prophet (peace be upon him) regarding his wife's dowry. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, "How much dowry have you fixed for her?" He replied, "Two hundred dirhams." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Even if you were to bring handfuls of dirhams from the valley called Bathhan, you would not have set such a high dowry."