of such negligible worth that its value is of no account, since this would be tantamount to a woman offering herself in marriage—a privilege Allah reserved for His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to the exclusion of other believers, saying: “And a believing woman, if she offers herself to the Prophet and the Prophet wishes to marry her—a privilege for you alone, not for the other believers” [al-Ahzāb: 50]—the minimum must be determined by reference to established cases for which fixed limits have been prescribed, even if they are not of the same nature. Accordingly, the minimum dowry was set at three dirhams, by analogy with the minimum amount for which a thief’s hand is amputated.
This analogy is sound: Allah Most High prescribed the amputation of a thief’s hand without specifying an amount, just as He made the dowry obligatory in marriage without specifying an amount. Evidence establishes that a thief’s hand may not be amputated for stealing something so insignificant that its value is of no account, such as a thread or the like. Likewise, evidence establishes that lawful sexual access cannot be obtained for such a paltry, trifling amount. Since the Sunnah specifies the amount for which a thief’s hand is amputated, the unrestricted requirement concerning marriage must be understood in light of that limit.
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The scholars of Iraq held that marriage is not permissible for a dowry of less than ten dirhams, by analogy with the amount requiring amputation according to their school. The established Sunnah of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, however, contradicts this. An established hadith relates:
“ʿAbd al-Rahmān ibn ʿAwf came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, bearing traces of yellow perfume. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked him about it, and he told him that he had married. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked him, ‘How much did you give her?’ He replied, ‘The weight of a date stone in gold.’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Hold a wedding feast, even if only with one sheep.’”
The weight of a date stone was five dirhams, and it was not gold; rather, they used to call five dirhams “the weight of a date stone in gold.” This refutes and invalidates their position.
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A number of scholars held that marriage is permissible for a dowry of one or two dirhams, or some other small amount. Among them was Ibn Wahb, one of the scholars of our school. The correct view is that held by Mālik—may mercy be bestowed upon him