Chicago, IL — In what must be considered the dumbest act of the year, a Muslim groom pledged to give his bride a dowry of $100,000 only to find out she planned to collect just moments after the wedding.
Mohsin Aftab, a native of Naperville, IL was stunned to hear his wife, Laila Mujahid, also from Naperville, request the lump sum just after they had cut the wedding cake. Said Aftab, “I thought she was kidding. No one really pays it, right?” referring to the dowry or mahr, an Islamic tradition in which the man pays the woman or her family, a financial sum once agreed upon between the two parties. The dowry is usually conducted at the wedding and prior to the marriage vows. In most cases it is usually paid through the course of a marriage when stipulated. Apparently for Aftab there was no timeline given and was stunned that his new in-laws called his bluff. “I cannot explain in words what I’m feeling.”
Yesterday evening, the wedding festivities started with jubilation in the northern Chicago suburb of Skokie at the Holliday Inn, where Aftab came on a horse to the hotel lobby surrounded by family and friends. The 29 year-old attorney of Pakistani descent proudly walked into the main hall with his groomsmen grooving to Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body.” The 26 year-old bride-to-be soon joined Aftab at the stage where Imam Shaffi Iqbal started the exchange of vows.
After some light reading from the Quran, Iqbal then spoke of the dowry and the obligation of a Muslim male to provide a gift for the woman. While Aftab was not required to reveal the amount, he took the microphone and proudly disclosed the dowry of $100,000 to gasps and shouts of “Oh my God” by wedding guests. On average, most dowries are between $5,000 and $15,000.
Once the “I do’s” were completed, Mujahid’s parents, in a haze of euphoria, launched into laughter and high-fives with the bride’s side. Not realizing entirely what he had done, but feeling a slight sting, Aftab continued to smile as the Mujhaids formed a conga-line and danced with other family members. Khan later had to call order to quell the hoopla.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen such excitement over a dowry before,” said a livid Iqbal who watched the bride side go bananas on the make-shift dance floor. “Then again I’ve never seen a moron want to give a $100k to his wife at his wedding. Jesus—that’s just crazy.”
“We are thrilled to have Mohsin join our family and certainly the dowry he’s giving to Laila is fantastic,” said Quddus Mujahid, the ecstatic father of the bride, who said he had a ton of bills to pay off. “I feel like I won the lottery!” When asked why he assumed Aftab would pay now, Mujahid was quick to point out the groom never provided a due date of the payment and technically it’s the right of the wife to ask for it when requested. His daughter agreed. “Hey—I’m not the one who said I wanted that much loot. “I didn’t know he had so much bling!” Mujahid’s friends were also on a high, screaming multiple times the famous Dave Chappelle line, “I’m rich, biatch!”
The mood on the groom’s side was rather depressing bordering on the atmosphere of pre-eulogy. Aftab’s Uncle, Tanweer Siddiqui, a witness for the wedding, spoke briefly after dinner on the couple. “I hope you find peace, faith and happiness, although one of you I feel has found it already,” he said to wild applause from half the room. Aftab and his friends declined to present their speeches, offering their bandwidth to the bride’s side who looked more like they were accepting an Oscar from the Academy than offering support and best wishes to the new Mr. & Mrs. Aftab. “I want to thank my brother-in-law for being such a great guy and making me and my parents happy for marrying my sister,” said Mujahid’s younger brother, who also kindly told Aftab that a personal check would be more than acceptable.
However, by the end of the evening, all love was lost as Aftab broke down and conveyed he only had $5000 in his bank account, much to the anger and dismay of his wife. He then apologized and asked for her forgiveness. Unfortunately, Mujahid declined and said that unless he shows up with the $100,000 he had presented as a gift, she would be living with her parents. Aftab’s father has filed an injunction preventing the Mujahids from seeking monetary reward based on the dowry verbal agreement.
http://theokranews.com/2013/09/05/100k-dowry-muslim-bride-groom/
Mohsin Aftab, a native of Naperville, IL was stunned to hear his wife, Laila Mujahid, also from Naperville, request the lump sum just after they had cut the wedding cake. Said Aftab, “I thought she was kidding. No one really pays it, right?” referring to the dowry or mahr, an Islamic tradition in which the man pays the woman or her family, a financial sum once agreed upon between the two parties. The dowry is usually conducted at the wedding and prior to the marriage vows. In most cases it is usually paid through the course of a marriage when stipulated. Apparently for Aftab there was no timeline given and was stunned that his new in-laws called his bluff. “I cannot explain in words what I’m feeling.”
Yesterday evening, the wedding festivities started with jubilation in the northern Chicago suburb of Skokie at the Holliday Inn, where Aftab came on a horse to the hotel lobby surrounded by family and friends. The 29 year-old attorney of Pakistani descent proudly walked into the main hall with his groomsmen grooving to Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body.” The 26 year-old bride-to-be soon joined Aftab at the stage where Imam Shaffi Iqbal started the exchange of vows.
After some light reading from the Quran, Iqbal then spoke of the dowry and the obligation of a Muslim male to provide a gift for the woman. While Aftab was not required to reveal the amount, he took the microphone and proudly disclosed the dowry of $100,000 to gasps and shouts of “Oh my God” by wedding guests. On average, most dowries are between $5,000 and $15,000.
Once the “I do’s” were completed, Mujahid’s parents, in a haze of euphoria, launched into laughter and high-fives with the bride’s side. Not realizing entirely what he had done, but feeling a slight sting, Aftab continued to smile as the Mujhaids formed a conga-line and danced with other family members. Khan later had to call order to quell the hoopla.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen such excitement over a dowry before,” said a livid Iqbal who watched the bride side go bananas on the make-shift dance floor. “Then again I’ve never seen a moron want to give a $100k to his wife at his wedding. Jesus—that’s just crazy.”
“We are thrilled to have Mohsin join our family and certainly the dowry he’s giving to Laila is fantastic,” said Quddus Mujahid, the ecstatic father of the bride, who said he had a ton of bills to pay off. “I feel like I won the lottery!” When asked why he assumed Aftab would pay now, Mujahid was quick to point out the groom never provided a due date of the payment and technically it’s the right of the wife to ask for it when requested. His daughter agreed. “Hey—I’m not the one who said I wanted that much loot. “I didn’t know he had so much bling!” Mujahid’s friends were also on a high, screaming multiple times the famous Dave Chappelle line, “I’m rich, biatch!”
The mood on the groom’s side was rather depressing bordering on the atmosphere of pre-eulogy. Aftab’s Uncle, Tanweer Siddiqui, a witness for the wedding, spoke briefly after dinner on the couple. “I hope you find peace, faith and happiness, although one of you I feel has found it already,” he said to wild applause from half the room. Aftab and his friends declined to present their speeches, offering their bandwidth to the bride’s side who looked more like they were accepting an Oscar from the Academy than offering support and best wishes to the new Mr. & Mrs. Aftab. “I want to thank my brother-in-law for being such a great guy and making me and my parents happy for marrying my sister,” said Mujahid’s younger brother, who also kindly told Aftab that a personal check would be more than acceptable.
However, by the end of the evening, all love was lost as Aftab broke down and conveyed he only had $5000 in his bank account, much to the anger and dismay of his wife. He then apologized and asked for her forgiveness. Unfortunately, Mujahid declined and said that unless he shows up with the $100,000 he had presented as a gift, she would be living with her parents. Aftab’s father has filed an injunction preventing the Mujahids from seeking monetary reward based on the dowry verbal agreement.
http://theokranews.com/2013/09/05/100k-dowry-muslim-bride-groom/
