An Islamic Scholar, Prof. Abubakar Imam-Aliagan has advised Muslims to emphasise dowry known as `Sadaqi’ or `Mahr’ in Islamic weddings.
Aliagan gave the advice in his Friday sermon in Madrasat Mohammed in Ilorin.
He said Muslims were beginning to relegate the importance of Sadaqi and placing more emphasis on wedding parties and celebrations.
He said Sadaqi was the most important aspect of marriage for every Muslim being ordained by Allah and should not be taken with levity or underemphasised.
“The Sadaqi is the most vital aspect of Islamic marriage which Allah has enjoined all believers to uphold. It should not be too little or too exorbitant,” he said.
The cleric, who is also lecturer at the Department of Religions, Faculty of Arts of the University of Ilorin, said that the society laid much emphasis on wasteful parties rather than paying Sadaqi as little as N10,000.
He said that instead of exorbitant weddings, sizeable amount of Sadaqi could be given to help the couples invest in the money and establish business, which in the long run would help their marriage.
Aliagan said that this could be another means of solving some of the social problems in the society such as youth unemployment.
He said that weddings go through two stages including the religious stages of prayers for the couple and the second stage of merrymaking and entertainment.
According to him, the general principle for which Muslims should conduct their spending was the same general principle for which they should conduct their lives, which is in moderation.
Quoting the Quran, he said: “And those, who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor niggardly, but hold a medium (way) between those (extremes) (al-Furqaan 25:67).’’
The Islamic scholar said that though wedding parties were among the things which was prescribed to express happiness and joy, adding “it does not mean that one should fall into extravagance or spend unnecessarily.’’
He however frowned at spending millions of Naira on Disk Jockey (DJ) and Masters of Ceremonies (MC) and musicians.
“Being extravagant is not allowed and is `haraam’. There is need for us to re-orientate our youth that wasteful spending in weddings does not bless the weddings.
“Allah has warned that if we don’t follow his laid down rules and regulations on how to live our lives as Muslims, the society will continue to face problems,” he said.
