The ruling on a tribe agreeing on a specific mahr

Question:
If it happens in a society that people compete with one another by raising the mahr, and the mahr for women reaches an amount that many young men cannot afford, is it permissible for them to agree that the mahr should be a certain amount, and that whoever exceeds this amount will be subject to such and such penalties?

Answer:
We are not aware of any harm in that. If the tribal elders and the leaders of the country agree on a specific mahr to facilitate marriage and the chastity of men and women, there is no harm in that. This has occurred for many tribes, and they came to the Committee of Senior Scholars, who approved of it. So there is no harm in the leaders of the country and the leaders of the tribe, for example, agreeing that the mahr will be fifty thousand... forty thousand... twenty thousand... ten thousand. They should consider what is appropriate for the occasion, because circumstances have changed and are not like the old situations. Therefore, they must take into account the conditions and needs of people and determine a suitable amount that the husband pays to the wife, which does not injustice to the woman and does not harm the husband to the extent that he is burdened or that marriage does not become easy for him. However, they should take a middle course and consult until Allah guides them to a suitable amount that eases things for the husband and benefits the wife. If they agree on it, it is obligatory to implement it and prevent anyone who violates it, because it is for the benefit of everyone. And success is from Allah . Yes.

The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.