Mahar in Islam, Obligatory or Sunnah?

Illustration - the dowry given by the prospective husband to the prospective wife (photo: Freepik)

YOGYAKARTA - The law of dowry in Islam is one of the important things that every Muslim who wants to get married needs to understand. Dowry is not just a symbol or tradition in the marriage contract, but has a position that is regulated in the sharia.

In Islam, dowry is a wife's right that must be given by the husband as a form of respect and sincerity in building a household.

Mahar is often referred to as a maskawin, which is a gift from the groom to the bride during the wedding. The form can be in the form of money, gold, valuable goods, to services agreed upon together. Islam does not burden the amount of dowry, but emphasizes the value of sincerity and ease.

Mahar Definition

Etymologically, the word mahar comes from Arabic. According to Ibnu Mandzur, the term al-mahru has the same meaning as ash-shadaq, with the plural form muhuur, quoted from the Muhammadiyah Voice website.

In the Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI), dowry is a mandatory gift in the form of money or goods from the prospective husband to the prospective wife when the marriage takes place.

Meanwhile, terminologically, dowry is interpreted as a gift from the groom to the bride which can be in the form of money, goods, or services, as long as it is not contrary to Islamic law, quoted from the book Compilation of Islamic Law (KHI).

Mahar Law in Islam

As explained above, the dowry is goods or money given by the prospective husband to the prospective wife at the time of the marriage contract.

In the book al-Fiqh al-Manhaji it is explained that the law of dowry in Islam is obligatory.

This obligation applies from the time the marriage contract is legally executed, whether the amount of dowry is clearly stated during the akad or not mentioned at all. Even if both parties agree to waive the dowry, the agreement is considered invalid and the dowry obligation still applies to the husband.

The basis for the imposition of dowry is also stated in the Qur'an, one of which is Surah An-Nisa verse 4.

And give the women their dowries as a free gift. そして女たちに、自由な贈り物として、嫁ぎの財産を与えなさい。

"Give the dowry (mahar) to the woman (whom you marry) as a gift with full willingness."

This verse confirms that the dowry is not just a formality in marriage, but part of the sharia.

The obligation to give dowry aims to show the sincerity and sincerity of a husband's intention in marrying his wife. In addition, dowry is a form of respect for women and proof that Islam places women as individuals who have rights, including the right to property.

In the book Fathul Qarib it is explained that there is no minimum or maximum nominal dowry.

However, there is an advice that the dowry is not less than 10 dirhams and not more than 500 dirhams. One dirham itself is equivalent to about 2.975 grams of silver.

Furthermore, Islam does not set a certain amount for the dowry. In fact, in the hadith it is mentioned that an iron ring can also be used as a dowry.

In another tradition, the Prophet also conveyed that the best woman is the one whose dowry is the easiest or lightest.

This shows that the dowry is not the main goal in marriage. The amount of dowry should be adjusted to the ability and agreement of both parties, without burdening, because the main thing is the blessing and ease in building a household.

That's the information about the law of dowry in Islam. Get other interesting news updates by visiting the VOI.id page.