Umar (Allah be pleased with him) delivered a speech to us and said “Do not go to extremes in giving women their dower, for if it represented honour in this world and piety in Allah’s sight, the one of you most entitled to do so would have been the Prophet (ﷺ). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not marry any of his wives or gave any of his daughters in marriage for more than twelve uqiyahs.
[Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood no. 2106]
Question:
How much would twelve uqiyah be equal to if we were to convert it in today’s currency?
Have any of the scholars explained this?
Answer:
In the Hadith
عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، قَالَ سَأَلْتُ عَائِشَةَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَتْ فَعَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى اثْنَتَىْ عَشْرَةَ أُوقِيَّةً وَنَشٍّ وَذَلِكَ خَمْسُمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ
It was narrated that Abu Salamah said:
“I asked ‘Aishah about that and she said: ‘The Messenger of Allah got married (and married his daughters) for twelve Uqiyah and a Nashsh'” which is five hundred Dirhams.
[Saheeh Nasai no. 3347]
Shaikh Ibn ul-‘Uthaymeen rahimahullah said:
“So it would be 112 Saudi Riyals. This is what is necessary for the dowry to be and if we make it five hundred dirhams, we increase it by 28, so it will reach 140 Saudi Riyals. So this is the highest of what the dowry should be and it is Sunnah. Nowadays it reaches 70 000…”
[Sharh Mumt’i (12/252-253)]
According to the current conversion:
112 Saudi Riyals converts to $38.67 Canadian dollars
140 Saudi Riyals converts to $48.33 Canadian dollars
So the Sunnah is between $39-48 Canadian dollars, Subhanallah!
Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan
—
Mulla Ali Qaari rahimahullah explained the narration saying:
أوقية وهي أربعون درهما
Uqiyah is forty dirhams
[Mirqaah al-Mafatih]
In the explanation of the Hadith of Abdurrahaman Ibn ‘Auf:
أَنَّ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ عَوْفٍ، تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً عَلَى وَزْنِ نَوَاةٍ، فَرَأَى النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَشَاشَةَ الْعُرْسِ فَسَأَلَهُ فَقَالَ إِنِّي تَزَوَّجْتُ امْرَأَةً عَلَى وَزْنِ نَوَاةٍ
Narrated Anas:
`Abdur Rahman bin `Auf married a woman and gave her gold equal to the weight of a date stone (as Mahr). When the Prophet (ﷺ) noticed the signs of cheerfulness of the marriage (on his face) and asked him about it, he said, “I have married a woman and gave (her) gold equal to a date stone in weight (as Mahr)
[Bukhari no. 5148]
Hafidh Ibn Hajr rahimahullah said in explaining the Hadith:
“…Shafi’ee said: a date stone is one-quarter of a (النش) which is half of a Uqiyah. An Uqiyah is forty dirhams and it is five dinar. Likewise, Abu Ubaid said that Abdurrahman ibn Awf paid five dinar [as a dowry] and it was called a nawaat as it was called forty Uqiyah. Abu Awwanah also was certain of this opinion and others” [Fathul Bari (9/235)]
This amount was not considered a very big amount at the time of the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wa salam as Umar radiallahu anhu said:
خَطَبَنَا عُمَرُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَقَالَ أَلاَ لاَ تُغَالُوا بِصُدُقِ النِّسَاءِ فَإِنَّهَا لَوْ كَانَتْ مَكْرُمَةً فِي الدُّنْيَا أَوْ تَقْوَى عِنْدَ اللَّهِ لَكَانَ أَوْلاَكُمْ بِهَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَا أَصْدَقَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم امْرَأَةً مِنْ نِسَائِهِ وَلاَ أُصْدِقَتِ امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ بَنَاتِهِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ثِنْتَىْ عَشْرَةَ أُوقِيَّةً
Umar (Allah be pleased with him) delivered a speech to us and said “Do not go to extremes in giving women their dower, for if it represented honour in this world and piety in Allah’s sight, the one of you most entitled to do so would have been the Prophet (ﷺ). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not marry any of his wives or gave any of his daughters in marriage for more than twelve uqiyahs.
[Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood no. 2106]
The intent of giving less as a dowry is not to be stingy, but to get the blessing of the marriage and follow the Sunnah. As comes in the Hadith:
خيرُ الصَّداقِ أيسرُه
The best dowry is the easiest
[Saheeh Jami no. 3279]
Imam ash-Shawkaani rahimahullah said about a similar Hadith:
“In it is evidence for the excellence of marrying with a small dowry and that the marriage with a small dowry is recommended. This is because the dowry, if it is small, will not make marriage difficult for the one who wants it and it will increase the marriages of those who desire it. It is possible for the poor [to get married] and the offspring will increase which is the most important demand of marriage. Unlike [ie. whereas] if the dowry is a lot, then it will not be possible to do so except those who own wealth. So the poor will most often not be married. So the increase in offspring which the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wa salam directed to will not be achieved”.
[Nayl al-Awtaar (6/221)]
And Allah knows best
Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan
