High Bride Price and its Bad Consequences

 Written by: Mir Aqa Etibar

One of the problems that is predominantly about marriage in Afghanistan is the issue of bride price which sometimes causes boys to give up the marriage.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked about this issue and its solution. With some people.

Umunnisa, a resident of Kandahar province says, “People in our area want 16-25 hundred thousand Afghanis bride price. One of our relatives paid 1 million Afghanis for the bride price. When they married the girl, her mother-in-law told her that they have paid one million Afghanis for her price but they (bride’s family) did nothing for you. Then the mother-in-law hit her by the iron and the bride died.”

Wranga, a resident of Maidan-Wardak province says, “My brother is engaged to a girl and the girl’s family wants 600 thousand Afghanis bride price. My brother did not have that much money. He went to one of our neighboring countries to gain the mentioned money. He has passed 7 years in that country and has sent only one hundred thousand Afghanis yet.”

How do some people find a solution to this issue?

Sheer Haidar, a resident of Qarabagh district, Ghazni province says, “Before every boy had to pay 700 thousand Afghanis bride price to get married. The elders of our district decided in a gathering that no one could ask more than 240 thousand Afghanis bride prices and the wedding expenses should not exceed more than 25 thousand Afghanis. Before the bride’s family were asking for 15 grams of gold ornaments but they decided in the gathering to prepare only 5 grams of gold ornaments. If anyone refuses, he would be fined.”

A clergyman, Mohammad Khalid Safi says, “Our prophet (PBUH) says in a Hadith that the best marriage is a marriage that costs little. Taking bride price is forbidden in Islam and if someone takes bride price, he would commit a sin.”