Dower for intercourse without a valid contract (uqr)

العُقْر

In the lexicon, uqr is the dower, especially the dower given to a woman forced or taken as a slave-woman; it is also the dower of a woman who is had by mistake. As a term it is the dower of the usual kind for a free woman and, for a slave-woman, a tenth of her value if she was a virgin or half of it if she was not ¹ ². Ajr is wider and covers the price of benefits generally, while uqr is used only of benefit from the woman's body ². The dower is due in a valid marriage on the contract and consummation, and in a void marriage on consummation; it is due also for intercourse under a mistake, and the jurists differ on whether the stipulated dower or the customary dower is due ².

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At a glance

Era: The Prophetic Era
Region: Global / Diaspora
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Family, marriage and kinship Women

Summary

In the lexicon, uqr is the dower, especially the dower given to a woman forced or taken as a slave-woman, and also the dower of a woman had by mistake ¹.

Its amount

For a free woman it is the customary dower; for a slave-woman it is a tenth of her value if she was a virgin and half of that if she was not ¹ ².

Ajr and uqr

Ajr is wider and covers the price of benefits generally, while uqr is used only of benefit from the woman's body ².

When it is due

The dower is due in a valid marriage on the contract and consummation, and in a void marriage on consummation; it is also due for intercourse under a mistake. The jurists differ on whether the stipulated dower or the customary dower is due ².

Where to look further

The rules of dower are treated under «mahr», and mistake under «shubha» ².

People and things also explored

Obstructing a marriage (adl): the guardian and the husband· Fleshy growth in the wife's womb and the right to annul (afal)· The woman left unmarried (anus) and the rules on her consent and maintenance· Maleness (dhukura) as a condition in the rulings· Jāhilī Marriage Forms· The social condition of the Arabs before Islam· Waʾd (Infant Burial)· The custody of Hamza's daughter

Sources

al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11769
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11770

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Dower for intercourse without a valid contract (uqr)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/uqr/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words. Related

Obstructing a marriage (adl): the guardian and the husband

In the lexicon, adl means to prevent, and the jurists use it of a guardian who prevents his ward's marriage, and in the case of divorce for ransom of a husband who harms his wife so that she will pay him back. In principle it is forbidden for a guardian to prevent a ward's marriage to a suitable husband, and for a husband to harm his wife to force her to ransom herself; a guardian may be permitted to refuse for the woman's own benefit. A guardian is an obstructer when a woman asks for a suitable husband, or a suitable man proposes, and he refuses without a valid reason, whether or not she asks for her proper dower; the Hanafis do not count refusing a dower below the usual amount as obstruction, and the Malikis do not count a compelling father's rejection of suitors as obstruction unless harm is intended. Once obstruction is proven before the judge, he orders the marriage; if the guardian still refuses, guardianship passes to the ruler according to the Hanafis, Shafi'is, most Malikis and one Hanbali narration, or to the next guardian according to the main Hanbali view; if all guardians obstruct, the judge contracts the marriage.