What is mahr? What are its types?
Mahr (dower) is an obligation arising from the marriage contract. We explain prompt, deferred and specified mahr with sources.
Mahr is a payment (money or property) that, under Islamic practice, the husband owes to his wife as an obligation arising from the marriage contract. A woman is entitled to mahr even if an amount is not specified at the time of the contract.
Types of mahr
Prompt mahr (muʿajjal)
Paid immediately — delivered at the time of the marriage.
Deferred mahr (muʾajjal)
Postponed — paid on an agreed date; if no date is set, it becomes due when the marriage ends.
Specified mahr (musammā)
An amount fixed at the time of the contract.
Proper mahr (mithl)
If no amount is specified, the mahr customary for women of comparable status applies.
Why put it in writing?
A mahr agreed only verbally may later be remembered differently. A written, dated record approved by both parties is a strong basis in any future dispute. mahr creates this record without storing its content — keeping only the document’s digest and timestamp.
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