Muslim marriage without husband giving the Mahar

5-6-2005 | IslamWeb

Question:

If a Muslim man married a Muslim woman without giving Mahar and taking dowry from her? Will their marriage be considered valid? Will their intercourse be considered Halaal? Please explain.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

 

One of the conditions of a valid marriage is Mahar (bridal money for the bride). If it is abandoned or cancelled then the marriage is not valid Islamicly.

If the fixed Mahar is not mentioned at the time of marriage the wife will get the Mahar that is customary in her family. Moreover, it is not compulsory to handover the agreed Mahar at the time of marriage contract or prior to intimate relations.

For more details read Fatwa: 89921.

Taking dowry forcefully, as practiced in some countries, from the family of bride, is forbidden. Giving something as a present to the daughter or newly weds is allowed as we made it clear in our Fatwa: 88939.

Allaah, the Glorified and the Exalted, knows best.