Woman Between Islam and Western Society
9. Dowry
~ 444 ~
‘Aishah was once asked how much dower the
Prophet gave his wives. She replied that it was 12
auqiyah
and 1
nash
(one
nash
being equal to half an
auqiyah,
that is, about 500
dirhams).
This was the
only dower of the Prophet Muhammad for his
wives.
15
“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.”
16
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
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.”
17
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.
