Question
I was wondering how to determine what is a reasonable amount to ask for. Is there any such guidelines to determine the amount? Does it depend on the man’s salary/currency of salary, where he lives etc?
Answered by: Mufti Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf
Assalamu alaykum
In the name of Allah, the Inspirer of truth.
There are no hard and fast rules concerning the mahr. In the Hanafi madhhab the minimum mahr is ten dirhams which is approximately 31 grams of silver as mentioned in the hadith narrated by Daraqutni and Bayhaqi.
We are also instructed not to demand exorbitant amounts that the husband would not be able to pay.
Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wasallam said:
“The marrriage with the most blessing is the one with the least burden.”
(Bayhaqi in Shu’ab al-Iman)
A reasonable amount would be the Mahr al-Fatimi, which was the amount Fatima (radhiyallahu anha) was given by Ali (radhiyallahu anhu), approximately 340 dollars or 235 pounds, as this has also been considered the sunna amount. The mahr of the wives of Rasulullah sallahu alayhi wasallam was just a bit more than this.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
Mufti Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf