Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
9. Dowry
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are quarrels with in-laws, and sometimes even the
breaking up of the home. The main reason for the
increasing frequency of such tribulation in married
life is the absence of any real appreciation on the
part of the bride of what her new role in the family
is supposed to be.
The bride comes from her parent’s home where she
has had the unstinted affection of her father, mother,
sisters and brothers. This relationship, and the place
in the family which it gives her, are usually taken for
granted, and seldom regarded as factors in life
which have to be striven for. She is seldom conscious
that these very valuable elements in family living are
not just hers for the taking when she enters her new
home as a married woman. They have to be worked
for, and she has to show herself deserving of them;
only then can she claim the kind of love and regard
which she had had as a matter of right from early
childhood in her parents’ home. This initial lack of
awareness on her part is very often the cause of
major rifts later on in her married life.
A girl is the flesh and blood of her parents. She is
loved by them whether she is good or bad, whether
