Hadith record

1. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from ibn Mahbub from Hisham ibn Salim from al-Hassan ibn Zurarah from his father who has said the following: “This is concerning my question before abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the case of a man who marries a woman following her command to form the marriage contract. He (the Imam) said, ‘Her command in the matters of mahr (dower) must stay within the amount of mahr (dower) of the family of Muhammad (SAW), which is twelve Awqiyah and one Nashsha and it weighs five hundred dirham of silver/ I then asked, ‘What will happen if he forms the marriage contract according to his own command and she agrees with it?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Whatever he commands is lawful and binding on her whether the amount is very little or more.’ I then asked, ‘How is it that her command is not binding on him and his command is binding upon her?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is because according to her own command she could not go beyond the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, upon which he married his wives, she must act according to the Sunnah because she appointed him as the agent to form the contract and settle mahr (dower) and she agreed to his decision so she must accept his decision and command about the amount whether it is less or more/”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.