Woman in Islamic Shariah

9. Dowry ~ 207 ~ elderly father, in-law for a period of eight to ten years. Only after performing this service for a full ten years did he leave Madyan for Egypt.169 169. See, Qur’an, 28:27-29. THE OPINIONS OF JURISTS The system of dower favored by the shari’ah entails immediate handing over of mahr. This was the practice followed by all of the Prophet’s Companions. Deferred dower is an alternative, but is not ranked equal in merit of a prompt discharging of this responsibility. It is simply a form of concession made to those who are unable to meet the requirements of mahr at the time of marriage. Further details on this subject may be found in the books of Fiqh. In his book, Al-Fiqh ‘ala’l Madahib al-Arba’ah, ‘Abdur Rahman al-Jaziri devotes 85 pages to the subject of dower. The issue of the two systems of dower, mu‘ajjal and mu’ajjal, is discussed in four pages. Although jurists have their differences on this matter, these are of a minor nature.