I proposed to a woman, and her guardian stipulated that her bridal gift be paid in a single lump sum, but I am unable to do so. He said, "Write a check for the amount he specified, or else it is not possible."
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The questioner : He says:The questioner : I proposed to one of the women, and her guardian stipulated that her bridal gift be paid in a single lump sum, but I am unable to do so. He said to me: "Write a check for the amount he specified, or else it is not possible." Is that permissible? I ask your eminence to direct a word to the guardians to facilitate matters regarding marriage.
The Shaykh : Yes, he says he has nothing and that he needs the bridal gift to be partly immediate and partly deferred. But the woman's guardian says, "Write me a check for what?" I ask you, I do not know about the issue of checks now. He says, "Write me a check for what?"
The questioner : For the amount, meaning so that he can marry her.
The Shaykh : Okay, he has nothing.
The student: He has no balance.
The Shaykh : He has no balance, and what is the benefit? Picture the situation, people, or leave it alone.
The questioner : It is like a debt, meaning.
The Shaykh : A debt does not benefit him. A check with no balance has no benefit, absolutely no benefit. What is it?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : It does not contradict an acknowledgment that he owes so-and-so a bridal gift of such-and-such amount. There is no objection to that.
As for the issue of reducing the bridal gift, the Sunnah is to reduce the bridal gift. But tell me, if it becomes easy for a man to marry a woman for one thousand riyals, and there is another woman for ten thousand, and he says, "I will take the woman for ten thousand" so that it is said, "This is a merchant" and "This is a man of high ambition," which is better? No, the two women are equal: the one for one thousand or the one for ten thousand?
The student: The one for one thousand.
The Shaykh : The one for one thousand. And for this reason, we say that reducing the bridal gift is better than increasing it, even if the person is wealthy. And in the hadith:Mishkat al-Masabih 3097 Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, he says he has nothing and that he needs the bridal gift to be partly immediate and partly deferred. But the woman's guardian says, "Write me a check for what?" I ask you, I do not know about the issue of checks now. He says, "Write me a check for what?"
The questioner : For the amount, meaning so that he can marry her.
The Shaykh : Okay, he has nothing.
The student: He has no balance.
The Shaykh : He has no balance, and what is the benefit? Picture the situation, people, or leave it alone.
The questioner : It is like a debt, meaning.
The Shaykh : A debt does not benefit him. A check with no balance has no benefit, absolutely no benefit. What is it?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : It does not contradict an acknowledgment that he owes so-and-so a bridal gift of such-and-such amount. There is no objection to that.
As for the issue of reducing the bridal gift, the Sunnah is to reduce the bridal gift. But tell me, if it becomes easy for a man to marry a woman for one thousand riyals, and there is another woman for ten thousand, and he says, "I will take the woman for ten thousand" so that it is said, "This is a merchant" and "This is a man of high ambition," which is better? No, the two women are equal: the one for one thousand or the one for ten thousand?
The student: The one for one thousand.
The Shaykh : The one for one thousand. And for this reason, we say that reducing the bridal gift is better than increasing it, even if the person is wealthy. And in the hadith: