The father of the bride is not obliged to furnish the home upon marriage
Fatwa No: 257191

Question

Assalam-0-Alaikum;old reference,2496618,In response of my question you refer me some answer already were given by you about dowry.Sorry i did not find the answer of my questions.I repeat them again. 1-Did our Holly Prophet give jahez to his daughter Fatima? 2-Did any wife of our Holly Prophet MUHAMMAD PBUH bring jahez with her. 3-Did companion of Holly Prophet give jahez to their daughters. Thanks

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger.

It has been reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, supplied his daughter Faatimah with some household necessities as a gift. Ibn ‘Abbaas narrated that, “When the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, married off his daughter Faatimah  to ‘Ali he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, gave her some household items such as a striped mattress, a cushion filled with palm fiber, and a water skin …” [An-Nasaa’i] The Hadeeth clearly states that these items were gifts from the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to his daughter.

Moreover, another report confirms that Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, bought his daughter Faatimah some of her household needs from her Mahr. It has been reported in a long Hadeeth about the marriage of Faatimah and ‘Ali that ‘Ali sold his shield for four hundred and eighty dirhams and gave them to Faatimah as Mahr. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, took a handful of the money and commanded Bilaal to purchase perfume for Faatimah . He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, ordered that some household items and clothes be bought. He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, also bought her a striped mattress, a leather cushion stuffed with fiber. [Ibn Hibbaan]

In fact, we could not find any evidence to indicate that the wives of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, brought household items to the Prophet's house upon their marriage or that the Companions used to buy household items and furniture for their daughters when they got married. If there is anything to indicate that this had really happened, then it may have been some sort of a gift, or something bought from their Mahr. The Fataawa to which we have referred you underline the opinion of Muslim jurists which suggests that the Wali (matrimonial guardian) is not obliged to buy household items and furniture for his daughter when she gets married; however, he may offer her something as a gift. In Islam, it is incumbent on the husband to buy all the household necessities and furnishings.

For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 85873, 88939 and 91516 and read them carefully.

Allaah Knows best.

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