unbearable, and is a great hindrance to leading a devout life.
The third quality to be sought is beauty, as this calls forth love and affection. Therefore one should see a woman before marrying her. The Prophet said, "The women of such a tribe have all a defect in their eyes; he who wishes to marry one should see her first." The wise have said that he who marries a wife without seeing her is sure to repent it afterwards. It is true that one should not marry solely for the sake of beauty, but this does not mean that beauty should be reckoned of no account at all.
The fourth desirable point is that the sum paid by the husband as the wife's marriage-portion should be moderate. The Prophet said, "She is the best kind of wife whose marriage-portion is small, and whose beauty is great." He himself settled the marriage-portion of some women at ten dirhems,[1] and his own daughters' marriage-portions were not more than four hundred dirhems.
Fifthly, she should not be barren. "A piece of old matting lying in the corner of the house is better than a barren wife."[2]
Other qualities in a desirable wife are these: she should be of a good stock, not married previously, and not too nearly related to her husband.
