Draw distinction between Stridhan and dower.

Question: Draw distinction between Stridhan and dower.

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Answer

Under Muslim Law, Mahr(dower) means money or property which the wife is entitled to receive from the husband in consideration of the marriage, but this consideration is not the same as that of the civil contract. Dower is an obligation imposed upon the husband as a mark of respect for the wife. The major object of the dower is to provide a wife for her subsistence after the dissolution of her marriage so that she may not become helpless after the death of the husband or termination of a marriage by divorce.

On the other hand, the word Stridhan literally means women's property. 'Stri' means women and 'dhan' means property togetherly constitute the word Stridhan. It includes all movable and immovable property types such as ornaments, cash, deposits, etc. Stridhan implied absolute ownership of property for women. She had full property rights when she was a maiden or a widow.

But there are certain restrictions on women's disposal of such property. After marriage the stridhan was classified into two heads Saudayaka and Non – Saudayaka. Saudayaka means a gift made through love and affection to a woman at, before, or after her marriage by her parents and their relations or by her husband and his relations and over which she has the complete right of alienation. Non – Saudayaka means gifts to a woman from strangers, property acquired by mechanical arts, etc. It refers to those gifts over which the woman has no right of alienation without her husband's consent.

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