Book Cheap Dowries Ahmed Ajab Date of publication: July 15, 2026 00:31 KSA

The news says: One of the tribes in the northern Kingdom announced a package of new measures to facilitate marriage and reduce its costs, including: canceling the 'milka' and 'talbisa' parties, banning the hiring of singers and 'taqqaqat', banning what is known as 'al-Dazzah', canceling the henna night and the 'talai' celebration, with social punishment imposed on violators, consisting of: boycotting the wedding party, and the tribe's members not attending the event!!

In my opinion, the problem of abstaining from marriage cannot be summarized in high dowries, or the cost of the wedding banquet, or the fee of the 'taqqaqa'. The man, despite the harshness of life, will do the impossible to complete half of his religion, provided he is reassured of the presence of a righteous woman who takes care of his affairs and obeys his counsel, not a coarse woman who cares only about herself and going out with her friends, and does not treat him as the head of a family, but as an ATM, whose only role in life is to pay her coffee and outing bills before she divorces him and returns his dowry!! Of course, there are those who see that reducing dowries by the tribal notables, as has happened in some tribes, by setting it at 30,000 for a virgin woman and 15,000 for a previously married woman, along with facilitating marriage by making invitations limited to relatives, and being satisfied with simple banquets, will contribute to increasing marriage opportunities for young men and women, reducing the spinsterhood rate, and building a stable married life based on affection, mercy, and tranquility, not on accumulated installments and long-term loans!!

On the other hand, there are those who see that the dowry of a virgin girl, estimated at 40,000, is no longer worth anything, with the rise in gold prices, the costs of the suitcase (trousseau), and the bride's room, and that the least dowry a girl deserves is 70,000, along with widespread invitation cards, choosing a luxurious wedding hall, decorating it with a wedding arch, and valuable gifts, accompanied by wedding songs from a famous 'taqqaqa' singer, because this will contribute to the man's appreciation of his wife when he feels her high value, so he holds her dear and cherishes her!! For my part, I see that the high dowries have a relative impact on abstaining from marriage, especially given the scarcity of obtaining a job and finding sufficient income to start a family, but I understand in return the insistence of some families on a high dowry in exchange for their daughter's beauty and the standard of living they want to maintain, so that she does not feel cheap. I also see that some activities accompanying the occasion, or expanding the invitation list, are important matters because we are not talking about an ordinary night, but about the 'night of a lifetime'!! In the end, if the tribe must reduce dowries to encourage young people to marry, then the decision should be optional without any social penalties, and the decision should not interfere with the choice of invitees, the hall, or the banquet, as these are personal freedoms, and each person according to their means. And the dowry should not be reduced to a point of disparagement, so that over time we move from the problem of abstaining from marriage due to high dowries to the problem of widespread divorce and khul' (divorce initiated by women) due to (cheap dowries)!!

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