Islam sanctions the dowry out of honour and respect for the...

Islam sanctions the dowry out of honour and respect for the wife but it is not to be over done, rather it stresses the simplicity of the dowry so that it is enough for the husband to teach the wife a chapter from the Qur'an or a simple craft, or even give her a plain iron ring.

Then on, it is clear that after the marriage, the two will be motivated towards working and earning, because the person who knows that he has a responsibility will run towards life as opposed to one who does not feel any responsibility. Simplicity of dowry made for the best women of the nation according to the Prophet because it makes this vital element of life easier and quicker.

‘God wants for you ease and he does not want difficulty.’38 It is related that the Prophet said: ‘Make things easy upon yourselves and do not make things difficult.’39 Ease in anything promotes the absence of stress on the person physically and mentally.

As for the 'most radiant of face', perhaps this stems from good moral behaviour which promotes the radiance of the face and skin.40 In this way, it was the custom amongst Muslims, before the age of Western materialism, for the dowry to be small and simple, except in a very few cases, for the ‘Umayyad and ‘Abbasid caliphs diverged from the traditions of Islam to the traditions of the Persian kings and the Caesars in every domain and especially in the matter of dowries.

Because of this, the impeccable Imams used to emphasise and insist upon the dowry of the sunna - that practised by the Prophet. The Parents’ House Muslim society, before the attack of materialism, used to marry off its sons and daughters, and both parties - the parents and the children - were satisfied and content with the parents house as an abode for the newly-weds, without distinguishing between whether the house belonged to the parents of the bride or of the groom.

The couple would live in one of the rooms of the house and everyone would contribute to the income, work and affairs of the household.41 Because of this, marriage was simple and easy regarding housing and furniture and assistance, and the new couple would learn from the older ones various aspects of life. Others would live in a new house whose land was free according to the law ‘the land belongs to Allah and whoever lives upon it'42.

The methods of construction were simple and humble, and there were no governmental difficulties such as taxes or planning permission or the like.