Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum 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:

Dear brother

I am a muslim. i have question:hope your answer me. thanks for your patience.

Now i already married. and my "mahar" is the house. and this house pay each month few

thousand. untill after 20 years.....

my mean when he bought this house.he didnt pay all amount for this house.by any reason.....then the charge i pay by myself (i dont have so much money) so i just ask:according our islammic way this marriage is complete or not. Thanks waiting for ur answer

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Answer:

House as mehr

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 none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 4:

4 And give the women (on marriage) their dower (mehr) as a free gift; but if they of their own good pleasure remit any part of it to you, take it and enjoy it with right good cheer.

Islam has made the determination and presenting of the ‘mehr’ to the woman on marriage an absolutely obligatory condition of ‘Nikaah’ between a man and a woman. Islam has not specified the exact amount of ‘mehr’ to be presented, but rather any amount of ‘mehr’ which is mutually agreed between the two parties, either proposed by the groom and accepted by the bride or demanded by the bride and accepted by the groom, regardless of however big or small it may be, would suffice to fulfill the obligatory condition of ‘Nikaah’.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 3206 Narrated by Amir ibn Rabi'ah

A woman of the Banu Fazarah was married for a dower (mehr) of two sandals. When Allah's Messenger (saws) asked whether she was satisfied with two sandals regarding her person and her property and she replied that she was, he (saws) gave his approval.

The ‘mehr’ in Islam could be as much as a treasure or even just a couple of paltry sandals depending on the financial status of the party proposing or demanding it.

If you as the wife agreed to the house being the ‘mehr’ at the time of your marriage, then that would suffice to fulfill the obligatory condition of your ‘mehr’.

Now regarding the monthly charges that need to be paid for the house, that depends on the agreement which was made between your husband and you or your guardians during the marriage. If the agreement was that the house was the ‘mehr’ and you would pay the monthly charges, then indeed you would be liable to pay the charges; and if the husband gave the house as ‘mehr’ during the marriage and also agreed to pay its monthly charges, then he would be liable to pay those monthly charges on the house.

Your Question: according our islammic way this marriage is complete or not.

Beloved Sister, if you accepted the house proposed by your husband as your ‘mehr’ for the marriage, then indeed that would suffice to fulfill the obligatory requirement of the determination of ‘mehr’ at the time of marriage; and if all the other obligatory rites of a ‘nikaah’ were honored, then indeed your marriage would be deemed absolutely legal and lawful in the Sight of Shariah Law and of Allah Subhanah.

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