Reducing the Mahr after the Nikah

Question

A man’s nikah was performed and a mahr of five thousand rupees was fixed, and he accepted it at the time; later he realised that his means do not amount even to five hundred rupees. In this situation can the mahr be reduced or not? And if it can, then how? Or did the nikah not take place at all — should the nikah be performed again or not?

Answer

In the case asked about, if there was no shar‘i impediment, the nikah is valid: with a mahr fixed beyond one’s means the nikah is valid. [ar]وتجب العشرة إن سماها أو دونها، ويجب الأكثر إن سمى الأكثر[/ar] “Ten are due if he named them or less, and the greater amount is due if he named the greater.” Al-Tahtawi ﵀ (vol. 2, p. 49)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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