"I am very happy about it."
A Bangladeshi bride broke traditional norms by taking 101 books as ‘Mahr’ on her wedding.
In Islam, a mahr is an obligation, in the form of money or possessions paid by the groom, to the bride at the time of Islamic marriage.
But for Sumaiya Parveen Antara, she wanted something different.
She tied the knot with banker Ruhul Mithum.
They married on October 29, 2022, and the groom handed over 101 books to his new wife.
The couple wanted to use the books to build a family library and at the wedding, guests were surprised by the books.
Sumaiya has an immense love for books. From that love, she chose 101 books instead of money, gold ornaments, and jewellery as per her wish.
She explained: “Everyone thinks that money and gold ornaments can only be mahr in marriage.
“But while studying in the university, I learned that there can be other things as well.
“That’s when I decided to ask for 101 books as mahr in marriage.”
Revealing that her parents supported her wish, Sumaiya continued:
“When I told my parents about my wish, they agreed and asked me to collect the book titles. Our marriage was arranged by our families.
“As per my wish, the books were handed over to me. I am very happy about it.
“A high rate of mahr is fixed in the society. But most of those mahrs remain unpaid. That’s why I took this decision in my student life.”
Ruhul also shared his thoughts on this unique desire of his bride:
“Though it was a bit hard to find all the books, I enjoyed it.
“I also had a love for books since childhood, which is why I wanted a book lover as a life partner. He fulfilled it in the course of time.”
Although such requests are unique, they are not uncommon.
A similar incident took place in Murshidabad where an avid reader, Moyna Khatun had openly shared her wish to be gifted books instead of traditional items.
The groom’s family was reportedly overjoyed and accepted her request. They also decided to give her more than what was asked for.
One of the members of the groom’s family said that besides the books, they would also be giving the bride money for her personal expenses.
In 2020, Ajna Nizam asked for 80 books when she got engaged to Ijas Hakkim.
The groom gifted another 20 books and presented them on their wedding day, December 29 2020.
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