93 No Marriage May Be Contracted Without Payment Of A Dowry #66
The Synopsis and Codification, section IV.C.1.j.i.-v., summarizes the main
provisions concerning the dowry. These provisions have their antecedents
in the Bayan.
The dowry is to be paid by the bridegroom to the bride. It is fixed at 19
mithqals of pure gold for city-dwellers, and 19 mithqals of silver for
village-dwellers (see note 94). Baha'u'llah indicates that, if, at the
time of the wedding, the bridegroom is unable to pay the dowry in full, it
is permissible for him to issue a promissory note to the bride (Q and A
39).
With the Revelation of Baha'u'llah many familiar concepts, customs and
institutions are redefined and take on new meaning. One of these is the
dowry. The institution of dowry is a very ancient practice in many
cultures and takes many forms. In some countries it is a payment made by
the parents of the bride to the bridegroom; in others it is a payment made
by the bridegroom to the parents of the bride, called a bride-price. In
both such cases the amount is often quite considerable. The law of
Baha'u'llah abolishes all such variants and converts the dowry into a
symbolic act whereby the bridegroom presents a gift of a certain limited
value to the bride.
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94 For City-dwellers At Nineteen Mithqals Of Pure Gold And ForPrevious:
92 We Have Conditioned It Upon The Permission Of Their Parents #65
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