Excerpted from the book “Ahkām wa Masā’il – In the Light of Qur’ān and Sunnah” by Shaykh Mubashar Ahmad Rabbānī
Is there a minimum limit prescribed for the mahr (dower)? Some people insist on setting a so-called ‘Sharʿī mahr’ of 32.25 rupees. Is this practice valid according to the Qur’ān and Sunnah?
There is no fixed minimum amount prescribed in Islam for the mahr. The dower may be as little as what both parties agree upon, regardless of how small the value is.
A woman came to the Prophet ﷺ and said:
“O Messenger of Allah! I have come to offer myself to you (in marriage).”
The Prophet ﷺ looked at her and then lowered his gaze. When she saw that the Prophet ﷺ did not respond, she sat down.
Then, a companion said:
“O Messenger of Allah! If you have no need for her, then marry her to me.”
The Prophet ﷺ asked:
“Do you have anything (to offer her as mahr)?”
He replied:
“By Allah! O Messenger of Allah, I have nothing.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Go and find something, even if it is an iron ring.”
The man went and returned, saying:
“I could not find even that.”
Then the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Do you have anything of the Qur’ān memorized?”
He replied:
“Yes.”
So the Prophet ﷺ said:
“I marry her to you in exchange for what you have memorized of the Qur’ān.”
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb Faḍā’il al-Qur’ān, Bāb al-Qirā’ah ʿan Ẓahr al-Qalb (5030)
✔ This authentic ḥadīth proves that no minimum amount is fixed for mahr.
✔ The Prophet ﷺ conducted the nikāḥ with no material dower, only Qur’ān memorization as the mahr.
✔ Imām al-Shāfiʿī and the majority of scholars (jumhūr) hold the opinion that:
“Any amount agreed upon by the two parties is valid as mahr, no matter how small.”
✔ Even something as insignificant as an iron ring is accepted as valid mahr.
🖋 Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī al-Ḥanafī commented on this ḥadīth:
“The view of the majority is correct, based on this clear and authentic ḥadīth.”
Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ 6/645, ḥadīth no. 3415
Some Ḥanafī scholars stipulate a minimum of ten dirhams, based on a narration attributed to Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh رضي الله عنه that:
“No mahr is valid if it is less than ten dirhams.”
Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī (3/335, ḥadīth 3559); al-Bayhaqī
But this narration is not authentic:
See: Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī with commentary in al-Mughnī 3/245
There is no Sharʿī fixed minimum mahr.
A marriage is valid even with a very small or symbolic mahr, such as an iron ring or a few sūrahs of the Qur’ān.
The idea of a ‘Sharʿī mahr’ of 32.25 rupees has no basis in the Qur’ān or authentic Sunnah.
✔ The correct view, supported by authentic narrations and the majority of scholars, is that any amount mutually agreed upon by both parties is sufficient.
May Allah grant us understanding of His dīn and enable us to follow the Sunnah in all aspects. Āmīn.
❖ Question:
Is there a minimum limit prescribed for the mahr (dower)? Some people insist on setting a so-called ‘Sharʿī mahr’ of 32.25 rupees. Is this practice valid according to the Qur’ān and Sunnah?
❖ Answer:
There is no fixed minimum amount prescribed in Islam for the mahr. The dower may be as little as what both parties agree upon, regardless of how small the value is.
✿ Evidence from the Sunnah:
Narration of Sahl ibn Saʿd رضي الله عنه:
A woman came to the Prophet ﷺ and said:
“O Messenger of Allah! I have come to offer myself to you (in marriage).”
The Prophet ﷺ looked at her and then lowered his gaze. When she saw that the Prophet ﷺ did not respond, she sat down.
Then, a companion said:
“O Messenger of Allah! If you have no need for her, then marry her to me.”
The Prophet ﷺ asked:
“Do you have anything (to offer her as mahr)?”
He replied:
“By Allah! O Messenger of Allah, I have nothing.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Go and find something, even if it is an iron ring.”
The man went and returned, saying:
“I could not find even that.”
Then the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Do you have anything of the Qur’ān memorized?”
He replied:
“Yes.”
So the Prophet ﷺ said:
“I marry her to you in exchange for what you have memorized of the Qur’ān.”
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb Faḍā’il al-Qur’ān, Bāb al-Qirā’ah ʿan Ẓahr al-Qalb (5030)❖ Ruling Derived:
✔ This authentic ḥadīth proves that no minimum amount is fixed for mahr.
✔ The Prophet ﷺ conducted the nikāḥ with no material dower, only Qur’ān memorization as the mahr.
❖ Scholarly View:
✔ Imām al-Shāfiʿī and the majority of scholars (jumhūr) hold the opinion that:
“Any amount agreed upon by the two parties is valid as mahr, no matter how small.”
✔ Even something as insignificant as an iron ring is accepted as valid mahr.
🖋 Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī al-Ḥanafī commented on this ḥadīth:
“The view of the majority is correct, based on this clear and authentic ḥadīth.”
Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ 6/645, ḥadīth no. 3415❖ Ḥanafī View on Minimum Mahr:
Some Ḥanafī scholars stipulate a minimum of ten dirhams, based on a narration attributed to Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh رضي الله عنه that:
“No mahr is valid if it is less than ten dirhams.”
Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī (3/335, ḥadīth 3559); al-BayhaqīBut this narration is not authentic:
- In its chain is Mubashshir ibn ʿUbayd, about whom Imām Aḥmad said:
“His narrations are fabricated and false.”
al-Mughnī fī al-Ḍuʿafā’, 2/244; al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl 8/1572
- Another narrator, Ḥajjāj ibn Arṭāh, is also weak.
- Other chains of the narration include weak or abandoned narrators, such as Dāwūd al-Ṭā’ī, al-Juʿaybar, and ʿUbaydullāh ibn Mūsā al-Rabadhī.
See: Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī with commentary in al-Mughnī 3/245❖ Conclusion:
There is no Sharʿī fixed minimum mahr. A marriage is valid even with a very small or symbolic mahr, such as an iron ring or a few sūrahs of the Qur’ān. The idea of a ‘Sharʿī mahr’ of 32.25 rupees has no basis in the Qur’ān or authentic Sunnah.✔ The correct view, supported by authentic narrations and the majority of scholars, is that any amount mutually agreed upon by both parties is sufficient.
May Allah grant us understanding of His dīn and enable us to follow the Sunnah in all aspects. Āmīn.