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:
