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What kind of things can the dowry (mahr) be in an Islamic marriage?
Anything that has a value and is permissible to earn from, by selling or leasing for instance, can be set as dowry, even if it is a little. It can be a tangible item, or a debt that is becomes liable for, or a service, such as to sew a garment or recite the Quran.
As for those things which are not permissible to make one’s earning by, such as musical instruments or pigs, it is not permissible to make them the dowry.
I would like to know if Islam allows a woman to give the dower to the man.
In Islam, the dower is the responsibility of the husband.
I am in London and a girl I know is in Canada, and we conducted the marriage contact over the telephone. With respect to the dower, can she give me the permission to take it back?
The dower must be stipulated in the contract and she is permitted to forgo it later.
Can I get married to a woman through the phone without paying her any dower?
It is necessary for the dower to be part of the marriage contract for it to be valid, even if it is a small amount, and even if it is not paid there and then.
Can I pay the dower in installments to my wife because my financial situation does not allow me to pay full amount in one time?
If the time of dower payment is due then it must be paid in full when the wife asks for it. The husband does not have to pay it on time if the wife agrees to delay the payment. Also if the husband is unable to pay it, then it is permissible for him to postpone the payment or part of it.
I got engaged recently and the marriage contract was completed, but the marriage did not work out and I felt that I was deceived by her. I decided to end the matter and divorced her prior to consummation of the marriage. In such a scenario, do I still have to pay the dower (mahr) that was agreed upon? What if we had no say in the matter of the dower, and it was our respective parents who agreed on it, are we still tied to it?
If the divorce takes place before consummating the marriage, the wife has a right to half of the dower (mahr), which she can waive if she wishes. The same is the case even if the parents were the ones who agreed on it since they were acting on behalf of the bride and the groom.
If a marriage has been consummated, is the wife entitled to the full dower?
When the marriage contract takes place, the wife has right to all the dower. If the dower or a part of it was deferred for a particular period, then she is entitled to it after the deferment period has ended. If the husband divorces his wife before the consummation of the marriage, she is entitled to only half of the dower, and the remaining half of the dower is dropped.
If a pair of shoes is the dower (mahr), is half of it considered to be one of the two shoes, or half of its value?
Half of the dower is half of the value of the pair of shoes.
Is it allowed to have a life insurance as the dower (mahr)? It requires monthly payments and results in a cash pay-out in case of death.
If one makes his wife the beneficiary on his life insurance policy then it is not valid to consider the paid amount after his death as dower. It is considered as a will.