In pre-Islamic times people bought girls from their parents. Money was given to them only as a sign of respect, called mahr. Mahr is the dowry given by the groom to the bride. It gives her financial security. The Mahr will be decided by the woman herself. The amount of dowry or mahr is not equal to the consideration because no consideration is given to the goods. So it's not a contract. The Prophet in one of his Sunnah said that whoever marries completes half of his religion. While the Quran verse: 233 para: 46 says that there are three people who will reach paradise: whoever buys their own freedom (i.e. who would provide freedom to any slave); who is married and who is engaged in the Holy War, i.e. Zihad. This raises a question about the nature of Muslim marriage as a contract. In Anieess Begum v Mohd. Istefa, J. Sir Sulaiman Shah stated that – if one considers Muslim marriage as a civil contract, there would be two problems:1. It cannot be contingent on future events.2. It cannot be for a limited period. The essential conditions for a valid Muslim marriage are:1. Ijab