Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
9. Dowry
~ 208 ~
The different sects of
sunnis
do not differ in
usul,
or
the fundamentals of religious belief, but only in
minor rules of practice and in certain legal
interpretations. Since, in some respects, separate
doctrines are broached, four schools of
jurisprudence have been established, known as
Hanafi, Shafi’i, Hanbali and Maliki.
All of these schools agree that delay in handing
over the dower, whether in full, or in part, is lawful,
provided that the period fixed for payment is not
indefinite. The Shafi’is also stipulate that the
“period of payment should have been fixed in
time.”
170
170. Abdur Rahman al-jaziri,
Al-Fiqh ‘ala’l Madahib
al-Arba’ah,
4/153-156.
NO HEAVY BURDEN
The dower, which may be in cash or in kind, has to
be fixed taking into account the bridegroom’s
position in life. That is, it should never be more than
he is easily able to afford, whether it be a lump sum
in cash or some article of value. The jurists have
different views to offer on what the minimum
