BY : Anum Ehtesham
Karachi.
Karachi : 10 million Pakistani women, above the age of 35 remain unmarried, according to an article I once read in The Express Tribune. There could have been many reasons why women don’t get married, even though some of them wish to. One of the biggest reasons is the social evil, also known as the dowry system. The dowry system has been widespread across the nation and it’s something we can’t get rid of even after partition. The dowry system first originated among the Hindus, and eventually the people of our country also adapted the tradition from the subcontinent. The question is, if our country is an Islamic Republic, then why hasn’t the government banned dowry? Islam has no concept of dowry and states that it is haram. Only Mahr is allowed in Islam. The Prophet SWA quotes “The woman who has the greatest blessing is the one with the lightest dowry” Back in the days, a woman used to receive dowry in the form of daily household items, essentials and necessities just so that she could live comfortably in her house. Nowadays, the groom’s side demands more than just household items. Luxury items such as expensive cars, clothes, furniture, jewelry etc. are given to brides from their parents just to prove the society that they can afford the marriage as well as the dowry. However, what about those innocent parents who cannot afford dowry? Who don’t have the budget to finance a single event? Those parents have no choice but to have their daughter sit at home for the rest of her life, unmarried and uneducated. A lot of women’s lives have been ruined because of the dowry system. And more lives will get ruined. Not unless the government bans dowry and takes a stand against such people who find it as an excuse to demand anything they could not afford, from the bride’s family.
