A Critical Analysis of Dower (Mahr) in Islam

Abstract

Mahr is undoubtedly a significant subject matter for the Muslim society. It is a sum of money or property on which the wife is entitled to receive from her husband in consideration of their marriage. The religion of Islam has maintained a balance in the society between men and women by giving its unequivocal endorsement to a practical division of responsibilities, whereby women are placed in charge of the domestic management of the household, while men are responsible for the maintenance of its victuals and livelihood in a matrimonial family. In this article, an investigation of the real philosophy of mahr has been highlighted to make physical and mental differences between men and women in the practice of discharging their respective familial responsibilities in the internal and external domestic spheres