NikahDraft

Guides

Haq mehr, mu'ajjal and ghair mu'ajjal in English

Columns 13 to 16 of the Pakistani Nikah Nama record the dower, called haq mehr. Translators keep the Urdu terms and add the English: dower, prompt and deferred. Here is what each word means and how the entry is usually written.

The terms

UrduRoman UrduEnglishMeaning
حق مہرhaq mehrdowerThe sum or property the husband owes the wife under the contract.
معجلmu'ajjal, muajjalpromptPayable at once, or whenever the wife asks.
غیر معجلghair mu'ajjal, muwajjaldeferredPayable later, typically on divorce or the husband's death.
عند الطلبindal talabon demandOften written next to the prompt part.
طلائی زیوراتtalai zewaratgold ornamentsGold given as part of the dower, usually in tola.

How the four columns fit together

  • Column 13, amount of dower: the total. Example: Rs. 5,00,000/- (Rupees five hundred thousand only).
  • Column 14, prompt and deferred: how the total is split. Example: Mu'ajjal (prompt): Rs. 1,00,000/-; Ghair mu'ajjal (deferred): Rs. 4,00,000/-.
  • Column 15, paid at the time of marriage: Yes or No, and how much.
  • Column 16, property in lieu of dower: gold, a house or a plot, with its description and agreed value. Example: 10 tola gold ornaments (about 116.6 grams).

Writing the amount in words

Pakistani documents write the figure with lakh commas and the words after it: Rs. 5,00,000/- (Rupees five hundred thousand only). One lakh is 100,000 and one crore is 10,000,000. Some translators write "five lakh"; English readers abroad follow "five hundred thousand" more easily, so many give that. NikahDraft writes the words for you and converts tola to grams (1 tola = 11.66 grams).

Fastest fix: open NikahDraft, type what is written in each of the 25 columns, and it lays out the English translation in the form's own order, with mehr amounts in words and a translator's statement. The preview is free and runs in your browser; the clean PDF and Word file cost $9 once.

More guides