Extravagance in the Payment of Dowries and Waste in Wedding Parties

Resolution No. 52, Date: 4th Rabi' Ath-Thani 1397 AH.

All praise and thanks be to Allah, Alone and may peace and blessings be upon him after whom there is no Prophet; as for what follows:

During its tenth session in the city of Riyadh held between 21st Rabi Al-Awwal 1397 AH. and 4th Rabi Ath-Thani 1397 AH., the Council of Senior Scholars of the Board studied the report prepared by the Permanent Committee from the Council of Senior Scholars on the subject of setting limits on the dowries of women, in accordance with the requirement of His Highness, the Deputy Head of the Council of Ministers. This was brought to the attention of the Board of Senior Scholars, so that they might inform His Highness of what had been decided, and they reviewed part of what was submitted to the responsible authorities. The topic was regarding the insistence of people on extravagance in the payment of dowries and their competi- tiveness in displaying luxury, and waste, and exceeding all limits in wedding parties, and that which accompanies them. This includes grand and excessive illuminations, and music and singing in loud voices, with forbidden musical instruments. which may last all night, even sometimes being louder than the voices of the Mu'aththin's for Fajr prayer. This included the celebrations which precede them, such as as engagement celebrations and the celebrations for 'Aqd Al-Qiran.

They reviewed what was written regarding the encouragement, to reduce the dowries and to be moderate in spending, and to avoid waste and squandering, including the Words of Allah, Most High:
"But spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift. Verily, the spendthrifts are brothers of the Shayatin (devils), and Shaitan (Devil-Satan) is ever ungrateful to his Lord."

And the words of the Prophet in the Hadith narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i, on the authority of Abu Salamah bin 'Abdur-Rahman, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: "I asked 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, the wife of the Prophet how much the dowry of the Messenger of Allah was, and she said: "His dowry to his wives was twelve Uqiyyah and one Nashsh." She asked: "Do you know what a Nashsh is?" He said: "No." She said: "A Nashsh is half an Uqiyyah and that (i.e., the full amount) is five hundred Dirhams." And 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "I do not know that the Prophet married any of his wives nor gave any daughters in marriage for a dowry of more than twelve Uqiyyah." (At-Tirmithi said that the Hadith is Hasan Sahih).

And it has been confirmed in the Sahihan and elsewhere on the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet gave a woman in marriage to a man for what he had memorized from the Qur'an.

And At-Tirmithi narrated and he declared the narration to be authentic that 'Umar said: "Do not be excessive in women's dowries, because if it were a noble deed in the life of this world or piety to Allah, the Prophet would have been the first of you to do it, and the Messenger of Allah did not give a dowry to any of his wives, nor accept a dowry for any of his daughters, of more than twelve Uqiyyah. And a man may be put to trial by the dowry of his wife, so that he feels enmity within himself and so that he says: 'I have been put to great expense for you."

And the Hadiths and the narrations from the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, which encourage moderation in spending and prohibit excessiveness are numerous and well known.

Based upon this, and because of what results from this. persistence in being extravagant in the payment of dowries, competing with each other in incurring expense in the wedding celebrations, exceeding all rational bounds, and the number of times they are held-both before and after the marriage - and because of the accompanying forbidden matters which call to the destruction of morals: such as singing and the mixing of men and women at times, and the direct contact of men when serving women in the hotels when parties are held therein, which are considered the most abominable evils and the results to this oversight leads in this area, such as the inability of many people to pay for marriage, which leads to marriage from societies with different morals and customs with our society, and (this leads to) much deviation in beliefs and morals; indeed, this abomin- able excess might even lead to deviation (of morals) in young men and women. Due to all of this, the Committee of the Board of Senior Scholars considers that it is essential to impose a firm and judicious solution to this problem as follows:

1. The Committee considers that the singing and playing of musical instruments and hiring of male and female singers and voice amplification which take place in these parties must be prohibited, because this is detested and forbidden, and it must be prevented, and those who do it must be punished.

2. Mixing of men and women in wedding parties, and in other places, must be prohibited, and the husband must be prevented from joining his wife when she is among unveiled women. Those responsible for this, including the husband and the guardians of the wife, must be punished for it, with a punishment that will prevent the occurrence of such evil things.

3. Wasting money and exceeding the limits in spending on marriage celebrations must be forbidden, and people must be warned against it by the Judge authorized to solemnize marriage contracts, and through the various media. The people must be encouraged to reduce the dowries, and wasting it should be firmly rebuked from the pulpits of the mosques, and in the meetings in which Islamic knowledge is discussed and taught and in the Islamic educational programs which are broadcasted via electronic media.

4. The majority of the Committee hold the view that those who openly squander money in wedding celebrations should be punished, and that he be referred to the courts, in order that anyone who has exceeded the limits be rebuked by whatever punishment the Islamic Judge sees as a fitting deterrent and preventive measure. This will help rein in the people's defiance in this alarming matter, because there are among the people some who will not be prevented except by being punished. May Allah grant success to the one in authority in solving the problems of the community by that which improves it, rooting out the causes of deviation, and in carrying out a punishment on every dissenter which will be sufficient to restrain him.

5. The Committee holds the view that people should be encouraged to decrease dowries, they should be encouraged from the pulpits of the mosques and in the news media, and examples should be mentioned of anyone who might be cited as models to be emulated in making marriage easy-if they can be found-who returned a part of the dowry that was given to them, or who contented themselves with a humble celebration, in order to serve as an influential example.

6. The Committee considers that one of the most effective ways of controlling extravagance and waste, is for the leaders among the people such as the 'Amirs, the scholars, and other eminent personages and notables to set an example in this matter. For as long as they do not avoid waste, and show pomp and splendor and squandering, the people will not avoid it, because they will follow their leaders and the notables in their community. Therefore it is incumbent upon those in authority to begin with them- selves in this matter, and to order those in their charge - before others to do likewise and confirm this, in emulation of the Messenger of Allah and his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and in order to safeguard their communities, so as to avoid single males and females. which will result in the spread of perverted morals, and the pervasion of corruption.

Those in authority are responsible before Allah regarding this matter, and it is an obligation upon them to stop evil, and to prevent the causes which hinder young men from getting married, and to cure them by that which will root out this phenomenon.

And may Allah help the Government and grant them the ability - through the abundant means which He has given them, and their firm desire for improvement to root out all that causes harm to this society and any deviations therein.

May Allah grant them success in rendering His religion victorious and elevating His Word, and in making His servants righteous, and may He reward them with the most abundant of rewards in this world and in the Hereafter.

And may peace and blessings be upon Muhammad and upon his family and Companions.