Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
9. Dowry
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soon, by virtue of her character and
accomplishments, earn the same honorable position
in her parents-in-law’s home as she had in her
parents’ home solely on account of their love for
her. For such a girl, entering marriage will be as
easy as changing her habits of dress with the change
of the season.
In the case of a girl who enters marriage,
uninstructed by her parents as to the realities of life
in her parents-in-law’s home, friction is likely to
arise because she does not consider her new home
her real abode in life. She does not think of it as
being her own home. As a result her parents-in-law
will be repelled rather than attracted by her and
they, too, will not think of her as their own. In such
a situation it is the girl herself who has to pay the
price. Her life will be fretted away, with little sense
of fulfillment; she will be fortunate indeed if her
afflictions are only psychological. It is a matter of
great regret that girls in this position seldom realize
that their woes have no basis in fact, but stem
largely from their unpreparedness for the married
state. Such a situation is invariably aggravated
when the girl’s parents, spurred on by her
