All praise is due only to Allaah. We laud Him and beseech His

auqias.’”
[Ahmad / Tirmidhi / Abu Dawood / Nisai / Ibn Majah 
/ Daarmi / Mishkaat page 277] 
We will now cite from the article of Hadhrat Mufti Taqi 
Uthmaani Saheb, entitled 
The Shar`i status of Mehr
, which 
appeared in the newspaper 
Jang
on the 12/11/1995. Before 
reading it, do make the dua that Allaah Ta`ala grant good 
guidance and that He make all our actions, be they in 
happiness, sadness, grief or hardship to be in strict accordance 
with the Sunnat of Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). 
36
The Shar`i status of Mehr 
Recently I came across a Nikah Certificate, where in the 
column for 
mehr
was written, 
“32 Rupees Mehr Shar`i”
. Prior to 
this also, I had spoken to many people regarding this issue 
and Allaah Ta`ala alone knows best where and how a paltry 
sum such as 32 rupees (and the like) come to be regarded as 
Mehr-e-Shar`i
? It has become very common to regard even 
the smallest sum of money for 
mehr
as being acceptable in the 
Shariah, such that these amounts are even called 
Mehr-e-
Shar`i.
Similarly, there are many other evils that have crept into 
our societies with regard to 
mehr
, whose eradication is 
necessary. 
In reality, 
mehr
(dowry) is a honorarium which a husband gives 
to his wife, which is a token of respect and honour which he 
affords her. It does not depict her value, which leads the 
husband to be under the impression that he has purchased her 
and she belongs to him, like a slave. It should also not be 
regarded as a light debt whose fulfilment is not necessary. The 
Shariah has made the 
mehr
binding and compulsory on the 
husband. The Shariah has specified that when a man brings a 
wife home, then he has to grant her the due respect, honour 
and comfort and present her with a gift (
mehr
) which 
accentuates her honour. 
Therefore the Shariah necessitates that this amount not be so 
small that the aspect of it being a honorarium for the wife be 
lost or that it not be so large that the husband is unable to fulfil 
it, and he leaves this world without having ever paid it or that 
the wife is eventually constrained to forgive it. It is a Shar`i 
stipulation that every woman be given what is known as 
Mehr-
e-Mithal
. 
Mehr-e-Mithal
is actually that 
mehr
amount which is 
normally paid to the women in the family and if the prospective 
bride does not have any women-folk in her family, then it is 
that 
mehr
which is paid to girls of the same ranking and status 

---

35
even give her husband his share of the estate, whereas this is 
totally incorrect and impermissible. To keep wealth which is 
not rightfully acquired becomes a means of 
be-barkati
(ill-
fortune/ without blessing) and many a times it is destroyed, 
taking lawful and Halaal wealth with it. May Allaah Ta`ala 
grant us sound intelligence and save us all from the evils of 
ignorant customs and norms.
Regarding 
mehr
, 
“It has been reported from Abi Salmah, who 
said, ‘I asked Aishah what the Sadaaq (mehr) given by Nabi 
(sallallahu alayhi wasallam) (to his Noble wives)?’ She replied, 
‘His Sadaaq to his wives was 12 ½ Auqia, which is 500 
dirhams.’”
[Muslim / Mishkaat, page 277] 
“It has been reported from Umar bin Khataab (radhiallahu 
anhu) who said, ‘Hark! Do not be exorbitant in the mehr of 
women, because indeed if it (i.e. the amount of mehr given) 
were (a sign of) honour in this world and a means of gaining 
Taqwa (nearness to Allaah Ta`ala), then The Nabi of Allaah 
(sallallahu alaihi wasallam) is most deserving of it. I am not 
aware of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) marrying any 
of his wives or marrying off his daughters for more than 12 
auqias.’”
[Ahmad / Tirmidhi / Abu Dawood / Nisai / Ibn Majah 
/ Daarmi / Mishkaat page 277] 
We will now cite from the article of Hadhrat Mufti Taqi 
Uthmaani Saheb, entitled 
The Shar`i status of Mehr
, which 
appeared in the newspaper 
Jang
on the 12/11/1995. Before 
reading it, do make the dua that Allaah Ta`ala grant good 
guidance and that He make all our actions, be they in 
happiness, sadness, grief or hardship to be in strict accordance 
with the Sunnat of Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). 
36
The Shar`i status of Mehr 
Recently I came across a Nikah Certificate, where in the 
column for 
mehr
was written, 
“32 Rupees Mehr Shar`i”
. Prior to 
this also, I had spoken to many people regarding this issue 
and Allaah Ta`ala alone knows best where and how a paltry 
sum such as 32 rupees (and the like) come to be regarded as 
Mehr-e-Shar`i
? It has become very common to regard even 
the smallest sum of money for 
mehr
as being acceptable in the 
Shariah, such that these amounts are even called 
Mehr-e-
Shar`i.
Similarly, there are many other evils that have crept into 
our societies with regard to 
mehr
, whose eradication is 
necessary. 
In reality, 
mehr
(dowry) is a honorarium which a husband gives 
to his wife, which is a token of respect and honour which he 
affords her. It does not depict her value, which leads the 
husband to be under the impression that he has purchased her 
and she belongs to him, like a slave. It should also not be 
regarded as a light debt whose fulfilment is not necessary. The 
Shariah has made the 
mehr
binding and compulsory on the 
husband. The Shariah has specified that when a man brings a 
wife home, then he has to grant her the due respect, honour 
and comfort and present her with a gift (
mehr
) which 
accentuates her honour. 
Therefore the Shariah necessitates that this amount not be so 
small that the aspect of it being a honorarium for the wife be 
lost or that it not be so large that the husband is unable to fulfil 
it, and he leaves this world without having ever paid it or that 
the wife is eventually constrained to forgive it. It is a Shar`i 
stipulation that every woman be given what is known as 
Mehr-
e-Mithal
. 
Mehr-e-Mithal
is actually that 
mehr
amount which is 
normally paid to the women in the family and if the prospective 
bride does not have any women-folk in her family, then it is 
that 
mehr
which is paid to girls of the same ranking and status 

---

37
as her.