The Position & Amount of Mehr
Question
On the question of Mehr in a marriage, how does one come to set the amount of Mehr ? Is Mehr set on the basis that if the couple were to divorce then the wife uses this towards her upkeep? Also in present day and age where if the couple are living in the west where women have just the same and if not more rights than a man, if the couple were to divorce the woman would receive at least half of what the husband owns. My point is if Mehr is for the wife if the couple divorces. Should we not take this into consideration? Please reply Thanks in advance
Answer
Mehr has nothing to do with the upkeep of a woman in case of divorce. Mehr , on the contrary, is a token that signifies the acceptance of the financial responsibility of the family that shall come into being through the contract of marriage. Mehr , should ideally be paid at the time of marriage. However, in case of the inability of the person, the payment may be deferred with mutual consent. The amount of Mehr is also decided by the mutual consent of the husband and the wife. There is no minimum or maximum limit set on the amount. The two major factors that may be considered in determining the amount of the Mehr may be the financial position of the man and the general amount of Mehr of other women of the same socio-economic status. Nevertheless, whatever the amount, the concept of Mehr is not of providing financial security to the woman in case of divorce or the death of the husband. In the light of the above explanation, it should be clear that the directive regarding Mehr is independent of any law regarding the distribution of a person's wealth, in case of divorce. 6 th March 2000 Answer published by Moiz Amjad
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