When my father proposed to my mother, he dedicated Surah Al-Imran, which he memorized off heart, as her "Mahr" (dowry). And when my husband proposed to me, my father told him that he would have to memorize a Surah of the Quran as my mahr. The wedding will not go on unless I've received my mahr I was asked to pick one of the surahs. I chose Surah Al-Noor. For all the laws that Surah contained within it and for the fact that it seemed hard to memorize on my behalf.
And before our wedding day; aside of being busy preparing for our "Newly wedded Nest", the Quran wouldn't leave my husband's hand an entire month as he was memorizing the Surah.
A few day before our wedding day, my husband came to recite to my father the Surah which he had completed. My father told him every time u make a mistake, you would have to start from the beginning all over
again. My husband began reciting Surah Al-Noor with his calm/gentle voice in such a "beautiful" scene which I will never forget. My mother and I would look at one another and would smile awaiting my husband to make a mistake so he would have to start all over again and by that increase my "Reward". But my husband - May Allah bless him - had memorized the Surah off heart and didn't even forget one single verse of it. Once he finished my father hugged him and said to him: "Today I shall marry my daughter to you, for you have fulfilled her mahr and your pledge to me.." He didn't pay me a financial mahr, and we didn't buy gold worth tens of thousands. He sufficed me with Allah's words as an oath/ contract between us. And the Question is.... I wonder what Surah my daughter will chose as her mahr in the future?"
