Answered by: Maulana Tahsin Alam
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
I would like to know quite clearly what Arabic words are used for Mahr which is considered to be prompt and for a Mahr which is to be deferred, along with some brief explanation of those words.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
‘Mahr,’ ‘ṣadāq’ or ‘ṣidāq’ are the Arabic terms for dowry. There are two types of Mahar:
1. Mahar Muʿajjal (with a ʿayn): The giving of a partial sum of the dowry to the wife before the marriage is consummated. This is a recommended practice due to the narration; Nabi SAW prevented Ali RA from consummating the marriage with his daughter (Fāṭima RA) until he gave her something before.
2. Mahar Mu’ajjal (with a hamza): The total payment of dowry, to be given to the wife, whose payment was deferred to a later date.[1]
Only Allah Ta’ala knows best
Written by Maulana Tahsin Alam
Checked and approved by Ustadha Siddiqa al-Farsiyyah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[1] Mulla ʿAli al-Qāri, Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ (Pakistan: Maktabah Rashediyah, n.d.) volume 6 pg. 327.