Dowry

all, when it had never been the custom to give presents to the bride. This feeling of obligation can be traced to the quality of the relationship which had grown up between ‘Ali and himself. When ‘Ali was just a boy, the Prophet requested his father, Abu Talib, to confide him to his care. From his very childhood, then, ‘Ali had been under the guardianship of the Prophet. Because of this long, close association, they had become more like father and son, rather than just cousins. Considering that the Prophet had borne all ‘Ali’ s expenses right from the time he came to him, it was but natural that on the occasion of his marriage, the Prophet, as his guardian, should give him some necessary items with which to set up his home. DOMESTIC NECESSITIES It is clear that the verb jahhaza, as used in the traditions, never had the meaning which it has acquired in modem times. In Arabic, it simply meant the “furnishing of provisions.”4 Nowadays, it is commonly held that at the time of her marriage, a girl should be given an ample dowry to enable her to set up her new home with ease. But this is a wholly nonIslamic concept and has no bearing whatsoever on the ideal of marriage in Islam. Had it been a traditional Islamic practice, we should certainly have seen the precedents set for it in the Prophet’s own lifetime. As it happened, the Prophet gave household items only to Fatimah, largely on account of his close relationship with ‘Ali, and gave nothing at all to his other three daughters on the occasion of their marriages. Had dowry-giving been an established sunnah of the Prophet, he would surely have given it to his other daughters as well. THE REAL GIFT One regrettable aspect of dowry-giving in recent times is that it is becoming more and more a matter of ostentation. Nothing could be more un-Islamic in motivation than this. Even the practice of performing a marriage quietly, without any flamboyant display of wealth, but subsequently giving a lavish dowry to enable the bride to set up her home is contrary to Islamic practice. It was certainly not the sunnah of the Prophet. Fatimah was his favorite daughter, but he neither gave her a lavish dowry nor did he send things to her home after the wedding. Even when Fatimah made a request to him for something of a material nature, he only gave her the benefit of his counsel. Different versions of Fatimah’s request have been recorded in many of the books on Hadith. It seems that she had to do all the housework herself, which she found physically very taxing. During the early period of her marriage, the Prophet had received a number of captives who were to be used as slaves. ‘Ali told Fatimah about this and suggested that she should go and ask her father to give her one of them. When Fatimah came to the Prophet, he asked what had brought her there. But, feeling too shy to ask anything of him, she merely said, “I have come to say salam to you,” and she went back home without having