Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
9. Dowry
~ 211 ~
have given much wealth to your women do not take
anything from it.” On hearing what the woman had
to say, ‘Umar withdrew his words, saying, “The
woman is right, ‘Umar is wrong.”
177
It is clear then that although the fixing of higher
amounts to be given as dower is not strictly
forbidden from the legal point of view, this practice
is generally considered to be socially undesirable.
That is why the dowers of the Prophet and his
Companions were kept very low. According to the
records we have, there is no single instance of
anyone of them having fixed substantial dowers
either for himself or for his daughters.
177. Ibn Hajar al-’Athqalani,
Fath al-Bari,
9/167.
THE COMPANIONS AND THEIR MARRIAGES
In the first era of Islam, marriage was a simple
affair, without pomp or ceremony. Any expenditure
incurred in its performance being quite minimal, it
did not become a burden on either family. The
wedding celebrations of the Companions were, in
keeping with this principle, quite free of any
ostentation. There is a saying of the Prophet that
