897 – Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh (may Allah be pleased with him) related that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever offers a woman sawīq or even dates as her bridal due has thereby made her lawful to himself.” Recorded by Abū Dāwūd, who indicated that the report traced only to the Companion (mawqūf) is the stronger form.⦗1⦘

Grade of the ḥadith
The report is mawqūf.
The author writes: “Abū Dāwūd transmitted it and inclined toward the mawqūf version.”
Al-Talkhīṣ adds: “Abū Dāwūd recorded it; in its chain is Muslim ibn Rumān, a weak narrator. It is also reported in mawqūf form, which is stronger, and this is the conclusion of Abū Dāwūd and ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq.”

Vocabulary
• sawīq: a mixture of dates and flour blended with dried cheese and clarified butter, kneaded together like porridge.
• istahalla (to deem lawful): to treat something as permitted; the lawful (ḥalāl) is the opposite of the forbidden (ḥarām).

Lessons drawn from the ḥadith
1 – The report indicates that the dowry is not an essential pillar of the marriage contract, nor is it the chief consideration in and of itself. It is rather an honorary token, a gift the husband presents to his wife as a mark of respect and goodwill.
2 – Accordingly, even modest items such as those mentioned may serve as a dowry and be offered as the mahr when nothing more valuable is available.