893 – Abu Salamah ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I asked ʿAʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her), ‘How much was the bridal gift (ṣadaq) of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?’ She answered, ‘The bridal gift he gave his wives was twelve uqiyyahs and a nashsh.’ She then asked, ‘Do you know what a nashsh is?’ I replied, ‘No.’ She said, ‘Half an uqiyyah—that comes to five hundred dirhams. Such was the bridal gift of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to his wives.’” Recorded by Muslim (1).

Vocabulary
• Uqiyyah: An uqiyyah equals forty dirhams, a silver coin weighing about 147 grams.
• Nashsh (with an open nūn and a doubled shīn): Half an uqiyyah, i.e., twenty dirhams.

Points derived from the ḥadīth

1. The report encourages making the bridal gift light; this is the prescribed practice, for the best ṣadaq is the easiest, and the best women are those whose upkeep is easiest.
2. The Prophet’s usual bridal gift to his wives was twelve and a half uqiyyahs. He (peace and blessings be upon him) is the perfect model in both customs and acts of worship. Since one uqiyyah equals forty dirhams, the total amounts to five hundred dirhams.
3. Five hundred dirhams equal one hundred and forty Saudi riyals.
4. How different this is from what people do today—inflating dowers and boasting about what they pay to the bride and her guardians. Whether the groom is wealthy or poor, he insists on not giving less than others in this matter; such extravagance, that wastefulness, and that