Haq Mehr in Rupees Today: Mehr-e-Fatimi and Shari Mehr

Families ask this question in the week before a nikah: how much is Mehr-e-Fatimi in rupees, what is the shari (minimum) mehr, and what is a mehr of a few tola of gold worth? None of these has a fixed rupee figure. They are weights of silver or gold, so their value moves with the metal price and the rupee. The calculator above works them out from the live rate, refreshed every hour, and the sections below explain each figure, show the same amounts in Indian rupees, and answer the questions people ask about old rupee figures and deferred mehr. For the rules of mehr itself (prompt and deferred mehr, the nikah nama, divorce and khula) read haq mehr in Islam: amount, types and rules.

Mehr-e-Fatimi in rupees

Mehr-e-Fatimi is the mehr the Prophet ﷺ gave for his daughter Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her). The common figure in Pakistani and Indian fatwas is 500 dirham of silver, based on the report of Sayyidah Aisha that the mehr of the Prophet’s wives was twelve and a half uqiyah (Muslim 1426). One dirham is 3.0618 g of silver, so:

• 500 dirham = about 1,530.9 g = 131.25 tola of silver, worth about Rs 7,41,747 today.
• 480 dirham (the narration of Sayyiduna Umar, Abu Dawud 2106) = about 1,469.7 g.
• 400 dirham (a view reported from Ibn al-Humam) = about 1,224.7 g.

Open “Other views held by scholars” in the calculator above to see the 480 and 400 dirham figures in today’s rupees. Paying Mehr-e-Fatimi is a recommended choice for its blessing; it is not obligatory, and any amount both families agree on is valid if it is not below the minimum.

Shari mehr (the minimum mehr) in rupees

When people in Pakistan say “shari mehr” they usually mean the least mehr that is valid. The schools differ:

• Hanafi: 10 dirham, about 30.62 g of silver (2 tola 7.5 masha), worth about Rs 14,835 today. If a smaller amount is written, the mehr becomes 10 dirham. Some Deobandi scholars, such as Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi, gave about 34 g; the calculator shows that figure too.
• Maliki: a quarter dinar of gold or 3 dirham of silver.
• Shafi’i, Hanbali and Ahl-e-Hadith scholars: no fixed minimum; anything of value can be mehr, following the hadith “look for something, even an iron ring” (Bukhari 5135).
• Shia (Ayatollah Sistani): no fixed minimum; the mehr of the Sunnah is 500 dirham.

The minimum is a floor, not a recommendation. A mehr that is far too small for the family’s means is allowed in fiqh but often unfair to the bride; a mehr far beyond the husband’s means is also discouraged.

A mehr fixed in tola of gold

Many nikah namas in Pakistan say “5 tola gold” or “10 tola gold”. That mehr is owed as gold, so its rupee value is today’s gold rate times the weight:

Mehr	Value today (PKR)
1 tola 24K gold	Rs 4,20,784
1 tola 22K gold	Rs 3,85,719
1 tola silver	Rs 5,651

Multiply by the number of tola in your nikah nama, or type the weight in the second box of the calculator, which also handles 22K and grams. If the nikah nama gives a weight but no karat, ask the families what was meant at the time; writing “24K” or “22K” next to the weight avoids the question later. Local sarafa rates are usually a little above the international rate used here.

Haq mehr in Indian rupees

The same weights apply in India. At today’s rate, Mehr-e-Fatimi is about ₹2,54,930 and the Hanafi minimum mehr about ₹5,099. Choose INR in the calculator to see the other views and to check your own figure. Indian Muslim personal law also treats mehr as the wife’s right and a debt on the husband until paid.

Why the rupee figure changes every year

A figure such as “Mehr-e-Fatimi is Rs 3 lakh” was right only on the day someone worked it out. Silver has risen sharply against the rupee, so the same 131.25 tola is now worth several times what it was a decade ago. That is why muftis tell families to work out Mehr-e-Fatimi from the silver rate on the day of the nikah and to write the rupee amount and the weight together in the nikah nama, for example “Mehr-e-Fatimi, 131.25 tola silver, Rs ___ on the day of nikah”. Saying which one is owed avoids a dispute later.

Worked example

Hina and Usman agree on Mehr-e-Fatimi, half paid at the nikah and half deferred. On the day of the nikah the calculator shows Mehr-e-Fatimi at about Rs 7,41,747.

• If the nikah nama says “Mehr-e-Fatimi, 131.25 tola silver”: the deferred half is 65.625 tola of silver. When Usman pays it years later, he pays that weight of silver or its value on the day he pays.
• If it gives only a rupee amount: the deferred half is that rupee figure. Most muftis say the written rupee amount is what is owed; a husband who pays more to make up for inflation does a kindness, but it is not required.

Either way, the deferred half is a debt. If Usman dies before paying it, it is paid from his estate before the inheritance is divided; the wirasat calculator lets you enter it as a debt, and the wife’s and husband’s share explains what the widow inherits on top of it.

Mehr after talaq, khula or a death

After a talaq that follows consummation the whole mehr is due; before consummation, half of a fixed mehr (Surah al-Baqarah 2:237). In khula the wife usually returns the mehr or gives up the unpaid part (Bukhari 5273). The rupee value of a mehr fixed in gold or silver is taken on the day it is paid. The woman’s iddat follows in each case; see iddat kitne din ki hoti hai for the days, or the iddat calculator for the date it ends.

Zakat on mehr

Mehr the wife has received, in cash or gold, is her own wealth and is counted in her zakat on her own zakat date. Many Hanafi muftis say there is no zakat on unpaid mehr until she receives it. See zakat on jewellery for gold she wears, and work out her total with the zakat calculator.

In Urdu: حق مہر کیلکولیٹر. The full calculator page is the haq mehr calculator. These figures come from published fatwas and the live international rate. This page is not a fatwa; for a particular nikah, ask the imam or mufti who performs it.

Frequently asked questions