Short answer
Mahr (mehr) is the gift a husband must give his wife because of the marriage. It belongs to her alone, not to her family. It is wajib even if it was not named at the nikah, and it can be money, gold or anything of value. It is not a price for the bride, and it is not a dowry paid by her family.
Mahr is wajib on the husband by the nikah itself. The minimum is ten dirhams of silver (about 30.6 g), with no maximum. If none was named, she is owed mahr al-mithl, the usual mahr of women like her in her father's family. It may be paid at once (prompt, mu'ajjal) or later (deferred, mu'akhkhar) as agreed.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- There is no minimum: anything with value can be mahr, including a service such as teaching her some of the Quran.
- Maliki
- The minimum is a quarter dinar of gold or three dirhams of silver.
- Hanbali
- There is no minimum: anything with value can be mahr.
Explanation
Allah says, "give the women their bridal gifts graciously" (4:4), and makes paying it part of seeking a lawful marriage (4:24). The Quran calls it sadaq and nihlah, words that point to sincerity and a free gift. It honours the wife, shows the husband's commitment and gives her some security of her own.
How it works:
- It is hers. Not her father's, not her husband's family's. See who owns the mahr.
- Prompt and deferred. Part can be paid at the nikah and part later. The deferred part is a real debt that falls due on divorce or death. See deferred mahr.
- The amount is agreed between the couple and families. Many Hanafi families use Mahr Fatimi, commonly taken as 500 dirhams of silver (about 1.53 kg), close to the mahr of the Prophet's ﷺ wives and daughters. The mahr calculator shows today's value.
- When it is due in full. The whole named mahr is owed once the marriage is consummated, or the couple have been alone together in valid privacy (khalwah sahihah), or one of them dies. If he divorces her before both consummation and valid privacy, half the named mahr is owed (2:237).
- The minimum differs between schools. See the minimum mahr.
When a man had nothing to give, the Prophet ﷺ told him to look for something, even an iron ring. The Hanafis read this as the prompt part, since in their school the mahr must be property worth at least ten dirhams. Teaching the Quran does not count as mahr in the Hanafi school, though the Shafi'is accept it.
Mahr is not dowry. In South Asia, "dowry" (jahez) often means goods from the bride's family to the groom's side. That is a custom, not mahr, and demanding it is haram. See dowry in Islam. Keeping the mahr reasonable is sunnah: the best nikah is the easiest.
The evidence
Quran, Surah An-Nisaa 4:4
وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلنِّسَآءَ صَدُقَٰتِهِنَّ نِحْلَةًۭ ۚ فَإِن طِبْنَ لَكُمْ عَن شَىْءٍۢ مِّنْهُ نَفْسًۭا فَكُلُوهُ هَنِيٓـًۭٔا مَّرِيٓـًۭٔا ﴿٤﴾
And give the women [upon marriage] their [bridal] gifts graciously. But if they give up willingly to you anything of it, then take it in satisfaction and ease.
Mahr is the wife's due, given willingly.
Quran, Surah An-Nisaa 4:24
۞ وَٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتُ مِنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ إِلَّا مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَٰنُكُمْ ۖ كِتَٰبَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ وَأُحِلَّ لَكُم مَّا وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكُمْ أَن تَبْتَغُوا۟ بِأَمْوَٰلِكُم مُّحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَٰفِحِينَ ۚ فَمَا ٱسْتَمْتَعْتُم بِهِۦ مِنْهُنَّ فَـَٔاتُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ فَرِيضَةًۭ ۚ وَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيمَا تَرَٰضَيْتُم بِهِۦ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ٱلْفَرِيضَةِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًۭا ﴿٢٤﴾
And [also prohibited to you are all] married women except those your right hands possess. [This is] the decree of Allah upon you. And lawful to you are [all others] beyond these, [provided] that you seek them [in marriage] with [gifts from] your property, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse. So for whatever you enjoy [of marriage] from them, give them their due compensation as an obligation. And there is no blame upon you for what you mutually agree to beyond the obligation. Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing and Wise.
A lawful marriage is sought with mahr.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5135
Sahih... التمس ولو خاتما من حديد ...
"Look for something, even if it is an iron ring."
Even a man with little must give some mahr.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Nikah, Bab al-Mahr. The minimum of ten dirhams, mahr al-mithl when none is named, and prompt and deferred mahr.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Nikah, Bab al-Mahr. Teaching the Quran is not valid as mahr in the Hanafi school.
- al-Mughni (Ibn Qudama), Kitab al-Sadaq. The Hanbali view that there is no minimum.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.