Fenomena Mahar : Antara Gengsi, Sensasi, Dan Fatalistis

Abstract

Every human being, male or female, according to the sunnatulah (fitrah) desires marriage between the two of them, and no one wants to live alone, unless there are sharia reasons that prevent them from getting married. In every marriage procession, it is ensured that there is a dowry that must be given by the man to the woman as respect, appreciation and proof of the existence of love between two people of different genders with the aim of building a new household (family). Dowry is the pure right of a woman who becomes the wife of a man when a marriage contract takes place between the two. Allah through QS. Al-Nisa: 4 and 24 instructs every man to give a dowry to the woman he marries. The type and level of dowry is not the same between one man and another. Because there are no definite provisions, a phenomenon has emerged among society, including Muslim communities, as if they are competing to give dowries to their wives in fantastic amounts and values. In Indonesia, there was the tragic case of a young man in East Nusa Tenggara committing suicide because he couldn't afford the 250 million rupiah dowry demanded by the bride's family. Several marriages with expensive dowries have also occurred, such as those between Syahrini and Rieno Barack, Bela Luan and Eko Hadi Prayitno, and Lesti Kejora and Rizky Billar. The most recent case involved the dowry offered by Sutarman and Sheila Arika's grandfather for Rp 3 billion, which turned out to be a bad check. As a result, some men and women postpone or even refuse to get married because the dowry is expensive. This article was written in order to reveal Islamic views regarding the ins and outs of dowry and the phenomena that lead and encourage certain individuals or groups of people to give expensive and fantastic amounts of dowry for their marriage. This work originates from literature studies in the Islamic scientific treasury.