<P> `` Dower '' is the English translation that comes closest to Islamic meaning of mahr , as `` dower '' refers to the payment from the husband or his family to the wife , especially to support her in the event of his death . However , mahr is distinct from dower in two ways : 1 ) mahr is legally required for all Islamic marriages while dower was optional , and 2 ) mahr is required to be specified at the time of marriage ( when a certain amount is promised , if not paid immediately ) , while dower is not paid until the death of the husband . Mahr also can be classified as a form of `` bridewealth '' , described by anthropologists as payments made from the kin of the groom to the kin of the bride ; however , mahr is paid directly to the bride and not her parents . In fact , as her legal property , mahr establishes the bride 's financial independence from her parents and in many cases from her husband , who has no legal claims to his wife 's mahr . </P>
what is the purpose of mahr in islam
mahr establishes the bride 's financial independence from her parents and in many cases from her husband , who has no legal claims to his wife 's mahr