Discouraging Excessive Mahr

It is recommended not to be excessive in the mahr, based on the following evidence: **1. Hadith of Aisha رضي الله عنها:** The Prophet ﷺ said: "Among the blessings of a woman is the ease of her affair and the smallness of her mahr" [Ahmad - hasan] - "Yumn" means blessing. **2. Statement of Umar رضي الله عنه:** He said: "Do not be excessive in women's mahr. For if it were a means of honor in this world or piety with Allah, the Prophet ﷺ would have been the most deserving of it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not give any of his wives a mahr, nor was any of his daughters given a mahr, more than twelve uqiyyah. A man increases his wife's mahr until he has enmity for her in his heart, and until he says: 'I bore hardship for you up to my last rope'" [Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah - sahih] **3. Hadith of Abu Salamah:** He said: I asked Aisha رضي الله عنها about the mahr of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. She said: "Twelve uqiyyah and a nash." She said: "Do you know what a nash is?" I said: "No." She said: "Half an uqiyyah" [Muslim] *Note: An uqiyyah equals 40 dirhams, so 12.5 uqiyyah = 500 dirhams, approximately 148 grams of silver.*