I want to ask that what is the concept of Dowry(Jahayz) in Islam?is it allowed or prohibitted in Islam?
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
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wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon
all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
i want
to ask that what is the concept of Dowry(Jahayz) in Islam?is it allowed or
prohibitted in Islam?if it is allowed,then in what aspects and respects?and if
it is prohibitted then why was Hazrat Fatima (RA) given the dowry,what were the
reasons and circumstances?and i have heard that for a Muslim woman to get
married,her parents are not allowed to provide her with the worldly objects of
living,rather her husband is supposed to provide her with everything i.e. all
that which is provided by the woman`s parents to her should be prvided by her
husband instead.what do u say about it?please answer soon.....JAZAAKALLAHI
KHAIRAN DA`ARAIN........!
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Answer:
Concept of dowry in
Islam
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is no one (no idol, no person, no
grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Your
Question: i want to ask that what is the concept of Dowry(Jahayz) in Islam?is
it allowed or prohibitted in Islam?if it is allowed,then in what aspects and
respects?
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah
Nisaa verse 34:
34 Men are the protectors and maintainers of women because Allah has
given the one more than the other, and because they support them from
their means.
The complete financial responsibility of the upkeep of the
wife after marriage is laid upon the shoulders of the husband in Islam.
If by the term ‘dowry’ or ‘jahayz’ you mean to inquire
about the pagan ritual whereby it is customary amongst the pagan cultures today
where the family of the groom demands or it is considered a requirement for the
guardians of the bride to provide financial assistance, or a house, or
furniture, or a car, or even cash to the groom upon marriage; then such rites
and rituals and requirements of dowry or jahayz are absolutely discouraged and
forbidden in Islam.
The majority of the scholars in Islam are of the opinion
that it is highly disliked, deplorable,
and absolutely discouraged in Islam that the husband, upon whom Islam has laid
the complete financial responsibility of the wife in marriage, should ever ask
or demand as a condition of marriage that he be financially rewarded by the
guardians of the bride.
In direct contrast to dowry, Islam guides and has made it
an obligatory condition of ‘Nikaah’ that a man who wishes to marry should generously
fulfill the condition of ‘mehr’ and according to his means pay the demanded
amount as a free gift to his bride upon marriage.
But if the parents or guardians of the bride, absolutely
without any pressure or coercion (from the groom, the groom’s family, social,
cultural, etc.), and of their own free will and pleasure wish to gift their
daughter or the groom with anything, there is absolutely no harm in the couple
accepting such gifts from them.
But if the groom, or the grooms’ family, or social or
cultural pressures demand and/or make it a condition of marriage that the
guardians of the bride are required to pay something in order for the marriage
to take place….then such a demand would be absolutely unjustified and
unwarranted in the Sight of Shariah.
Your
Question: if it is prohibitted then why was Hazrat Fatima (RA) given the
dowry,what were the reasons and circumstances?
Firstly, Hadrat Ali (r.a.) was taken into the care and lived
in the house of the Noble Prophet (saws) from a very young age, and the
caretaker, guardian, and sponsor of Hadrat Ali (r.a.) was the Noble Prophet
(saws) himself. Thus when the Prophet
(saws) accepted the proposal of Hadrat Ali (r.a.) who sought to marry his
beloved daughter Fatimah (r.a.), after the marriage the Noble Prophet (saws) of
his own will and pleasure gifted a few basic household items like a mattress, a
blanket, and some utensils to Hadrat Ali (r.a.) and Hadrat Fatimah (r.a.) as a
gift.
Under absolutely no circumstances can these gifts which
the Prophet (saws) gave to Hadrat Fatimah (r.a.) be considered as ‘dowry’, nor
is it even conceivable that Hadrat Ali (r.a.) ever demanded these items as a
condition of his marriage to Hadrat Fatimah (r.a.). The Prophet (saws) presented these items as a
gift to his daughter and his son-in-law at their marriage absolutely of his own
free will and choice.
Secondly, the Prophet (saws) married two of his daughters
to Hadrat Uthmaan (r.a.), but there is absolutely nothing in recorded history
that he (saws) gifted anything to his other daughters at their marriage.
Your
Question: and i have heard that for a Muslim woman to get married,her parents
are not allowed to provide her with the worldly objects of living,rather her
husband is supposed to provide her with everything i.e. all that which is
provided by the woman`s parents to her should be prvided by her husband
instead.what do u say about it?
Beloved brother, it is not as if it is illegal or unlawful
for the parents of the bride to gift anything to their daughter or
son-in-law. If the parents of the bride,
of their own free will and choice, and without any pressure whatsoever from the
groom, or the grooms’ family, or social, or cultural, etc. wish to gift
something to the couple, there is absolutely no harm.
But if the gift or dowry is made to be a condition of
marriage, or if the groom, or the grooms’ family, or social or cultural
pressures demand or expect that the guardians of the bride must pay or gift a
dowry….then such a demand is absolutely discouraged and deplorable in Islam.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
Wister