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WOMEN AS WIVES

One of the great signs of the

Benevolence, Mercy and Power of

Allah, the Exalted, is that He created for

mankind mates, one from the other, so

that they are comforted, satisfied and

assisted by one another.

The basic foundation of the society is

the family, and the husband and the wife

are co-partners in that family upon

which a Muslim home is established.

For the success of the family and the

tranquility of the home, Islam grants

each spouse certain rights and duties.

We will only focus on the rights of the

wives in the following section.

01DOWRY:

A dowry is the right of every bride at the

time of marriage. A marriage contract is

not considered legal and complete

unless a dowry has been specified. This

right cannot be forfeited, even if the bride

approves, until after the marriage

contract is completed. The dowry

belongs to the woman entering marriage,

and she has the freedom to do whatever

she wants with what she owns after the

marriage contract is fulfilled. Allah, the

Exalted, states in the Qur'an:

"Give the women whom you marry their

dowry with a good heart. If they remit

any part of it to you, of their own good

pleasure, take it and enjoy it fully without

fear of any harm." 4:4]

The husband is not allowed to take

anything back from the dowry if he

decides later to divorce her; as Allah,

the Exalted, states in the Qur'an:

"If you want to replace one wife with

another and you have given one of them

a great amount in gifts], do not take

back] from it anything. Would you take

it in injustice and manifest sin? And how

could you take it while you have gone in

unto each other and they have taken

from you a solemn covenant?" 4:20-21]

This verse indicates the sacredness of

the marriage vows and the intimacy of

the marriage relationship, as well as the

right of retaining the dowry gift in case of

divorce. Allah, the Exalted, also states in

the Qur'an: