Should I Pay the Mahr Amount Written in My Contract or Adjust for Inflation?


Hanafi Fiqh

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

Do I pay the original Mahr amount stated in my marriage contract from 25 years ago, or should I adjust it for inflation or the current value of gold to ensure fairness? What is the Islamic ruling?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

Dowry (Mahr) is a gift, and a debt if unpaid, like in your case, so you will have to pay it as stated in your marriage contract. If you want to pay more or according to the value of gold, then it will be good of you and an honor to your wife.

Mahr a Gift, a Debt, if Unpaid

Mahr is a gift given to the bride. It becomes her sole property and should not be taken back. It can be paid at the time of marriage or promised to be paid at a later date, which makes it a debt on the husband to his wife, which she can subsequently forgive if she chooses to do so out of her free will.

[Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. In sha Allah, you will receive guidance and direction.

Related

Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersAcademy (seekersguidance.org), like from the Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org), building your way up doing each course?

I pray this helps with your question.

Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat 

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.