The bridal gift owed by husband to wife — an enforceable debt if unpaid at death.
In Islamic law
Mahr is the wife's right. Any unpaid or deferred portion is a debt of the estate, ranking with other debts and payable before bequests and inheritance shares.
In Canadian law
Canadian courts have enforced mahr agreements as contracts in several cases, though outcomes vary by province and on the drafting. Treated as an estate debt, an unpaid mahr reduces what is available to distribute.
We have not yet researched whether the four Sunni schools differ on this term, so we are not going to tell you either way. Where a specific case turns on it, ask a qualified scholar rather than relying on a general summary.
This is legal information only. For advice on your own circumstances, speak to a lawyer.
Citations & sources
Every factual claim on this page traces to a source below. Details change — check the original source before relying on any figure, fee or legal position.
- Surah an-Nisa 4:11 — shares of children and parents — Quran.com
- Surah an-Nisa 4:12 — shares of spouses and uterine siblings — Quran.com
- Surah an-Nisa 4:176 — the kalalah verse — Quran.com
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 85: Laws of Inheritance (Faraid) — Sunnah.com
- Sahih Muslim, Book of Inheritance — Sunnah.com
- Encyclopaedia of Islam — Brill
- Oxford Islamic Studies / Oxford Reference — Oxford University Press