The Ruling on Exaggeration in Mahr and a Father Taking from His Daughter's Mahr

The following message was sent to the program from the Yemen Arab Republic by our brother Muhammad Abdullah Sa'id al-Yamani. He asks about the recurring issue, Your Eminence the Shaykh, which is: a father eating from his daughter's mahr, and the exaggeration in mahr for the sake of material gain?
Answer: This question covers two matters:
The first is: exaggeration.
The second is: eating from the mahr in the case of the father.
The two matters differ in ruling. As for exaggeration, it is disliked and not befitting. It is befitting for Muslims not to exaggerate, but rather to facilitate, as the hadiths and athar have come regarding this. Among the hadiths is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . It is befitting for the believer not to exaggerate, and it is befitting for the woman's people not to exaggerate. It is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said to a man who proposed: , and he married him to a woman when he could not find a wife, on the condition that he teach her some of the Qur'an. In this matter, no one should exaggerate in mahr. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) married for five hundred, and he married his daughters for four hundred. If exaggeration in mahr were honor and excellence, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions would have been more deserving of it.
The point is that exaggeration in mahr has harms and consequences that are not praiseworthy. It may cause young men and women to be left unmarried due to the causes of exaggeration. It may lead to malice in hearts and hatred in hearts toward the wife and her people because of the exaggeration. It may not be limited to the husband, but may extend to the husband, his father, and his people, because of what they saw of his effort and hardship.
The conclusion is that the Sunnah, and what is befitting for all believers, men and women, is that they do not exaggerate, and that they strive for facilitation and ease, so that women get married and so that young men are not left unmarried. As for what concerns a father eating from the mahr, the correct view is that there is no blame in that; because children are followers of their father. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to a man who said: , and it is a hadith with no harm in it. He also said (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of Aisha: , and both are good hadiths with no harm in them.
The conclusion is that a father benefiting from his daughter's mahr is without blame. However, he must consider her situation and not harm her. Rather, he should leave for her what benefits her with her husband and what satisfies her needs, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . The fact that his children are from his earnings does not imply that he should harm the son or the daughter. Rather, he must consider their circumstances. If his taking from his son harms him, his children, and his family, it is not permissible for the father to do that. He only takes what does not harm. Likewise, the daughter: if his taking from her mahr harms her, or causes the husband to lose interest in her, or causes her divorce, he should not do that. Let him fear Allah, but he takes from her wealth and her mahr what does not result in harm to her. And Allah is the Helper. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.