Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
9. Dowry
~ 210 ~
only dower of the Prophet Muhammad for his
wives.
175
“But,” she added, ‘Umm Habiba’s dower
consisted of 4000
dirhams,
this sum having been
fixed by the Christian King of Abyssinia, Najashi,
who had performed this marriage by proxy.”
176
171. Ibid., 4/107.
172. Al-Haythami,
Majma’ az-Zawa’id wa Manba’ al-
Fawa’id, Kitab an-Nikah
, 4/281.
173. Al-Baihaqi,
Sunan al-Kubra, Katib as-Sudaq
,
7/235.
174.
Kanz al-’Ummal, Kitab an-Nikah
, 16/322.
175. Ad-Darimi,
Sunan, Kitab an-Nikah,
2/141.
176. Abu Dawud,
Sunan, Kitab an-Nikah,
2/235.
NON-PREFERABLE WAY
The second Caliph, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, once
while addressing a gathering asked them to refrain
from fixing heavy dowers in marriage. On hearing
this, a woman stood up and, addressing the Caliph
on the pulpit said, as God Himself has said, “If you
