With the Hadith
Should We Not Accept What the Woman Accepted?
We greet you all, dear friends, everywhere, in a new episode of your program "With the Hadith," and we begin with the best greeting: peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.
It is mentioned in Fath al-Bari, a commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani - with modifications - in the chapter on the best of you is the one who learns the Quran and teaches it:
Amr bin Aoun narrated to us, who said: Hammad narrated to us from Abi Hazem from Sahl bin Saad, who said: A woman came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and said that she had given herself to God and His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. He said: I have no need for women. A man said: Marry her to me. He said: Give her a garment. He said: I cannot find one. He said: Give her even a ring of iron. He made excuses for that. He said: What do you have of the Quran? He said: Such and such. He said: Then I have married her to you for what you have of the Quran.
Dear listeners:
The dowry in Islam is an obligation. It is an appreciation for the wife and her status with her husband. It helps the wife prepare herself when she moves to her new home, and it is an honor for her. It is in exchange for enjoyment, and it is the rule of God Almighty. However, this hadith indicates that the dowry is not specified. The noble Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, asked the man who wanted to marry to offer a garment as a dowry, then a ring of iron, then what he had memorized of God's verses.
O Muslims:
Although the content of the hadith revolves around marriage and the necessity of the dowry in it, it draws attention to the verses of God that were presented as a dowry for the wife. The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, teaches us that the dowry should not be the reason for marriage or its absence, whether its value is high or low. Islam called for marriage and clarified the form that the husband and wife should take, and clarified what is required of each of them. The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, did not prevent marriage due to the man's lack of resources. How many Muslim sons dream of marriage but do not achieve it due to high dowries? How many Muslim daughters have become spinsters due to high dowries? Where are those who accept a husband for their daughters based on what he has memorized of the Book of God? Are we not Muslims? Is the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, not our role model? Then why do we not accept what the woman accepted as a dowry with the verses of God? Is the scheming of our enemies against us not enough? Let us accept our religion as the woman accepted it.
O God, hasten for us a righteous caliphate according to the method of prophethood, in which the disunity of the Muslims is resolved, and remove from them what they are suffering from affliction. O God, illuminate the earth with the light of Your noble face.
Amen, Amen.
Dear loved ones, until we meet you with another prophetic hadith, we leave you in God's care, and peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.
Written for the radio by: Abu Maryam