What is your opinion regarding the exorbitance of bridal gifts, and do you see a specific limit for it?
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The questioner : Many questions have been asked about the mahr, and this brother is one of them. He said: What is your opinion regarding the exorbitance of mahr, and do you see a specific limit for it?
The Shaykh : There is no doubt that exorbitance in mahr is contrary to the Sunnah, and that the most blessed marriage is the one with the least expense. The less the mahr is, the closer it brings the spouses to affection, and the easier it makes separation if affection does not develop. I give you an example: if a man gives his wife a mahr of fifty thousand, and he borrows it from so-and-so and so-and-so, or tightens his belt greatly until he obtains it, then this fifty thousand will remain before his eyes even when he is with his family. You will find him thinking about it. If the relationship between him and his wife becomes bad, he will not divorce her easily because he has lost money on her. And if he does divorce her, he will not do so until he demands back what he gave as mahr. If he demands it back, it may be difficult for her and her family. But if the mahr is light, Allah places blessing in it, and it becomes a cause of affection between the spouses, if affection is destined to be between them, or a cause of easy separation if affection does not occur between them. As for setting a limit, it is difficult, and it is not possible to achieve it except by one of two things: either the tribe agrees among themselves on a limit, or it comes from the authorities. Yes.
The Shaykh : There is no doubt that exorbitance in mahr is contrary to the Sunnah, and that the most blessed marriage is the one with the least expense. The less the mahr is, the closer it brings the spouses to affection, and the easier it makes separation if affection does not develop. I give you an example: if a man gives his wife a mahr of fifty thousand, and he borrows it from so-and-so and so-and-so, or tightens his belt greatly until he obtains it, then this fifty thousand will remain before his eyes even when he is with his family. You will find him thinking about it. If the relationship between him and his wife becomes bad, he will not divorce her easily because he has lost money on her. And if he does divorce her, he will not do so until he demands back what he gave as mahr. If he demands it back, it may be difficult for her and her family. But if the mahr is light, Allah places blessing in it, and it becomes a cause of affection between the spouses, if affection is destined to be between them, or a cause of easy separation if affection does not occur between them. As for setting a limit, it is difficult, and it is not possible to achieve it except by one of two things: either the tribe agrees among themselves on a limit, or it comes from the authorities. Yes.