Abstract

Dower, under Islamic law, is a sum of money or other property promised by the husband to be paid or delivered to the wife in consideration of the marriage and even where no dower is expressly fixed or mentioned at the marriage ceremony, the law confers the right of dower upon the wife as a necessary effect of marriage. Dower is the exclusive right for the wife declared by Islam. Mainly, payment of dower is a religious mandate for every husband and it is a fixed right of wife prescribed by Allah. The amount of dower can be high or low with the variation of society and economic condition of the parties. Contrary to the Islamic concept, most of the people of Bangladesh have taken dower just as a formality and their outlook is inconsistent with the provisions of the Quran and the Sunnah. Due to ignorance of Sharia law and the existing Bangladeshi laws, most of the women are not conscious about their right of dower. Most of the Muslim husbands of Bangladesh are strongly indifferent towards the payment of dower. For these reasons, it is the strong demand of Muslims in the present social context to ensure dower of women by increasing consciousness. Reinterpretations of the Islamic laws and statutory laws are also necessary.