Showing the Clothes to the Family, Displaying the Dowry, and Its List

Question

The clothes of the young man and the girl are shown to the whole family and only then put away, and this is considered necessary; the items of the dowry are counted out in front of everyone, a list is written and given to the young man’s side, and each keeps a copy with himself. Please give the ruling on all of this in the light of the Book and the Sunna and present the proofs for it.

Answer

Giving the items with such an announcement and showing them to everyone is a wrong practice; it should be stopped. Making a list of the items being given, handing it over and keeping it with oneself is permissible. But giving items beyond one’s means, by taking loans and the like, is also wrong. The details of these customs and their harms are set out in “Islah al-Rusum”.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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