MARRIAGE CHAPTER · 29 – DOWRY
According to the narration of Abu Salamah, may Allah be pleased with him, from Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her: “I asked about the mahr of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.” Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "Twelve uqiyyah and a nash." I asked, "What is a nash?" Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, replied: "A nash is half an uqiyyah." [117]
**Note:** *Uqiyyah* is equivalent to forty dirhams. *Nash* corresponds to twenty dirhams, which is half an *uqiyyah*. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah’s, peace and blessings be upon him, mahr amounts to five hundred dirhams. The mahr of Umm Habibah being four thousand dirhams was due to the Najashi gifting her to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, out of respect. (Avn al-Ma'bud)
Abū al-‘Afā as-Sulāmī, may Allah be pleased with him, related that:
‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, delivered an address and said: Be mindful not to be extravagant in women's dowries. If giving excessive dowry were a generosity in this world and piety in the sight of Allah, then your most virtuous person, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would have done so.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, did not give any of his wives more than twelve *uqiyyah* (five hundred dirhams) as a dowry, nor was a greater dowry given to any of his daughters. [118]
If it is said that ‘Umar’s address contradicts the verse meaning: “If you give abundantly to your women, then you shall not take anything back,” the response is that the verse indicates permissibility of excessive dowry, not its excellence. (‘Awn al-Ma’būd)
Umm Habiba, may Allah be pleased with her, related:
Umm Habiba was married to Ubaydah ibn Jahsh, and Ubaydah died in the land of Abyssinia. The Negus (King) of Abyssinia then betrothed her to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and gave her a dowry of four thousand dirhams on behalf of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. He sent her with Shurahbil ibn Hasana to [the Prophet] Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Abu Dawud said: Hasana is the mother of Shurahbil.
NOTE
Refer to the explanation of hadith no. 2086.
From Zuhri (may Allah be pleased with him) is narrated:
(The Christian Negus) Najashi married the daughter of Abu Sufyan, Ummu Habiba (may Allah be pleased with her), to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for a dowry of four thousand dirhams. Najashi wrote this to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted it.
COMMENTARY:
This hadith is mursal. It is also said that Najashi gave Ummu Habiba either four hundred dinars or two hundred dinars. (From the marginal note) The dirham mentioned in these narrations is the legal dirham, which weighs 2 grams and eighty centigrams – approximately three grams.