FIXING DOWER AND ITS RECOVERY UNDER SHARIAH LAW: A CONTRAST BETWEEN SOCIOLEGAL PRACTICES IN BANGLADESH

This research paper is an endeavour to concentrate on one of the property rights of women provided under Muslim personal laws of Bangladesh, which is the dower. It is generally accepted that women’s dower rights are already granted in the Sharia. The present research finds that cases of dower in Bangladesh highlight the contrast between theory and practice. In dower cases, the payment is a legal obligation, whereas in social practice the question of payment arises only in the case of divorce. It was discovered that women faced problems in recovering the dower money in practice because of a lack of awareness along with other reasons. This research endeavours to test couples’ awareness of dowers in a village in a northern district of Bangladesh. Side by side it focuses on other reasons of the deprivation of women from their rights of dower. Finally, necessary solutions are recommended for ensuring women’s right to dower from the male-dominated society. Keywords: Women, Dower, Usool, Awareness, Recovery, Sharia law, statutory law, Bangladesh