The Dower - Section 1

Sahl b. Sa'd told of a woman who came to God’s Messenger and offered herself to him. When she had stood for a long time (i.e. without receiving an answer) a man got up and said, “Messenger of God, marry her to me if you have no need of her.” He asked him if he had anything to give her as dower, and when he replied that he had nothing but the lower garment he was wearing, he said, “Look for something, even though it should be an iron ring.” Then when the man had sought and found nothing God’s Messenger asked whether he knew any of the Qur'an, and when he replied that he knew <i>surah</i> so and so and <i>surah</i> so and so, he said, “I have given you her in marriage for the part of the Qur’an which you know.” In a version he said, “Go away, for I have given you her in marriage; and teach her some of the Qur'an." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ: أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جَاءَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ فَقَالَتْ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي وَهَبْتُ نَفْسِي لَكَ فَقَامَتْ طَوِيلًا فَقَامَ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ زَوِّجْنِيهَا إِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ لَكَ فِيهَا حَاجَةٌ فَقَالَ: «هَلْ عِنْدَكَ مِنْ شَيْءٍ تُصْدِقُهَا؟» قَالَ: مَا عِنْدِي إِلَّا إِزَارِي هَذَا. قَالَ: «فَالْتَمِسْ وَلَوْ خَاتَمًا مِنْ حَدِيدٍ» فَالْتَمَسَ فَلَمْ يَجِدْ شَيْئًا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «هَلْ مَعَكَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ شَيْءٌ» قَالَ: نَعَمْ سُورَةُ كَذَا وَسُورَةُ كَذَا فَقَالَ: «زَوَّجْتُكَهَا بِمَا مَعَكَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ» . وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: قَالَ: «انْطَلِقْ فَقَدْ زَوَّجْتُكَهَا فَعَلِّمْهَا مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ»

Abu Salama said he asked ‘A’isha how much the Prophet (ﷺ) had given as dower, and she replied that his dower to his wives was twelve <i>uqiyas</i>* and a <i>nashsh</i>. She asked whether he knew what a <i>nashsh</i> was, and when he replied that he did not, she said it was half an <i>uqiya</i>; so the total was five hundred dirhams. * The <i>uqiya</i> was 40 dirhams. Muslim transmitted it. <i>Nashsh</i> is in the nominative in <i>Sharh as-sunna</i> and all the sources.

وَعَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ عَائِشَةَ: كَمْ كَانَ صَدَاقُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَت: كَانَ صداقه لأزواجه اثْنَتَيْ عَشْرَةَ أُوقِيَّةً وَنَشٌّ قَالَتْ: أَتَدْرِي مَا النَّشٌّ؟ قُلْتُ: لَا قَالَتْ: نِصْفُ أُوقِيَّةٍ فَتِلْكَ خَمْسُمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ. رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ. وَنَشٌّ بِالرَّفْعِ فِي شَرْحِ السّنة وَفِي جَمِيع الْأُصُول

'Umar b. al-Khattab said:

Do not go to extremes in giving women their dower, for if it represented honour in this world and piety in Gods sight, the one of you most entitled to do so would have been God's Prophet. I am not aware of God’s Messenger marrying any of his wives or giving any of his daughters in marriage for more than twelve <i>uqiyas</i>. Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah and Darimi transmitted it.

عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: أَلَا لَا تُغَالُوا صَدُقَةَ النِّسَاءِ فَإِنَّهَا لَوْ كَانَتْ مَكْرُمَةً فِي الدُّنْيَا وَتَقْوَى عِنْدَ اللَّهِ لَكَانَ أَوْلَاكُمْ بِهَا نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا عَلِمْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَكَحَ شَيْئًا مِنْ نِسَائِهِ وَلَا أَنْكَحَ شَيْئًا مِنْ بَنَاتِهِ عَلَى أَكْثَرَ مِنَ اثْنَتَيْ عَشْرَةَ أُوقِيَّةً. رَوَاهُ أَحْمَدُ وَالتِّرْمِذِيُّ وَأَبُو دَاوُدَ وَالنَّسَائِيُّ وَابْنُ مَاجَهْ وَالدَّارِمِيُّ

Jabir reported God’s Messenger as saying, "If anyone gives as a dower to his wife two handfuls of flour or dates he has made her lawful for him.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

وَعَنْ جَابِرٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «مَنْ أَعْطَى فِي صَدَاقِ امْرَأَتِهِ مِلْءَ كَفَّيْهِ سَوِيقًا أَوْ تَمْرًا فَقَدِ اسْتحلَّ» . رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُد

‘Amir b. Rabi'a said that a woman of the B. Fazara was married for a dower of two sandals. When God’s Messenger asked whether she was satisfied with two sandals regarding her person and her property and she replied that she was, he gave his approval. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

وَعَنْ عَامِرِ بْنِ رَبِيعَةَ: أَنَّ امْرَأَةً مَنْ بَنِي فَزَارَةَ تَزَوَّجَتْ عَلَى نَعْلَيْنِ فَقَالَ لَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَرَضِيتِ مِنْ نَفْسِكِ وَمَالِكِ بِنَعْلَيْنِ؟» قَالَتْ: نَعَمْ. فَأَجَازَهُ. رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيّ

‘Alqama quoted Ibn Mas'ud as saying he was asked about a man who had married a woman without fixing any settlement on her or cohabiting with her till he died. Ibn Mas'ud said she should receive the type of dower given to women of her class with so diminution or excess, observe the <i>‘idda</i> period and have her share of the inheritance. Ma'qil b. Sinan al-Ashja‘i then got up and said, "God’s Messenger gave a decision regarding Birwa’ daughter of Washiq, a woman of our tribe, to the same effect as the decision you have given; and Ibn Mas'ud was pleased about the decision. Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Nasa'i and Darimi transmitted it.

وَعَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ: أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً وَلَمْ يَفْرِضْ لَهَا شَيْئا وَلم يدْخل بهَا حَتَّى مَاتَ فَقَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ: لَهَا مِثْلُ صَدَاقِ نِسَائِهَا. لَا وَكْسَ وَلَا شَطَطَ وَعَلَيْهَا الْعِدَّةُ وَلَهَا الْمِيرَاثُ فَقَامَ مَعْقِلُ بْنُ سِنَانٍ الْأَشْجَعِيُّ فَقَالَ: قَضَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي بِرْوَعَ بِنْتِ وَاشَقٍ امْرَأَةٍ مِنَّا بِمِثْلِ مَا قَضَيْتَ. فَفَرِحَ بِهَا ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ. رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ وَأَبُو دَاوُد وَالنَّسَائِيّ والدارمي

Umm Habiba said she was married to ‘Abdallah b. Jahsh who died in Abyssinia, so the Negus married her to the Prophet, giving her on his behalf a dower of four thousand. (A version has four thousand dirhams.) He sent her to God’s Messenger with Shurahbil b. Hasana. Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it.

عَنْ أُمِّ حَبِيبَةَ: أَنَّهَا كَانَتْ تَحْتَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ جَحْشٍ فَمَاتَ بِأَرْضِ الْحَبَشَةِ فَزَوَّجَهَا النَّجَاشِيُّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَمْهَرَهَا عَنهُ أَرْبَعَة آلَاف. وَفِي رِوَايَة: أَرْبَعَة دِرْهَمٍ وَبَعَثَ بِهَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَعَ شُرَحْبِيل بن حَسَنَة. رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُد وَالنَّسَائِيّ

Anas said that Abu Talha married Umm Sulaim, the dower between them being acceptance of Islam. Umm Sulaim had become a Muslim before Abu Talha, and when he asked her in marriage she said, "I have become a Muslim, so if you become one I shall marry you.” He then accepted Islam and that was the dower arranged between them. Nasa’i transmitted it.

وَعَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ: تَزَوَّجَ أَبُو طَلْحَةَ أُمَّ سُلَيْمٍ فَكَانَ صَدَاقُ مَا بَيْنَهُمَا الْإِسْلَامَ أَسْلَمَتْ أُمُّ سُلَيْمٍ قَبْلَ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ فَخَطَبَهَا فَقَالَتْ: إِنِّي قَدْ أَسْلَمْتُ فَإِنْ أَسْلَمْتَ نَكَحْتُكَ فَأَسْلَمَ فَكَانَ صدَاق مَا بَينهمَا. رَوَاهُ النَّسَائِيّ