The Harms Resulting from Exorbitant Bridal Gifts

Question:
May Allah reward you. The questioner, who used the initials M.M. for her name, says: In the city where I live, the prices of bridal gifts are very high, which causes young men to shy away from marriage. What is your opinion on this from the perspective of Islamic law? May you be rewarded.

Answer:
This is an error and a harm. Raising bridal gifts and exaggerating in them entails great harms; it burdens Muslims, especially the poor, and hinders marriage. It is also a cause of women remaining unmarried and being exposed to corruption, and it exposes young men to corruption. It is obligatory for Muslims to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and to make bridal gifts easy. It is obligatory for the woman and her guardian to be content with a modest bridal gift, because it is more blessed and better, as in the hadith If the bridal gift increases to the point of exaggeration, great harms result from it, and it may become a cause of hatred between the spouses; because the wife mentions this exorbitant gift, and whenever any fault occurs with her husband, he rebukes her and says, "I paid you such and such for the bridal gift." But if the woman comes with a modest bridal gift, that is what endears her to her husband. So it is obligatory for Muslims to take into account this great aspect, which is making bridal gifts easy.