Chapter on Miscellaneous Matters
Man Lā Yaḥḍuruh al-Faqīh|Volume 3|Book 3|Chapter 45
وَ رَوَى حَرِيزٌ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: "أَ تَدْرِي مِنْ أَيْنَ صَارَ مُهُورُ اَلنِّسَاءِ أَرْبَعَةَ آلاَفِ دِرْهَمٍ" قُلْتُ لاَ قَالَ "إِنَّ أُمَّ حَبِيبَةَ بِنْتَ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ كَانَتْ فِي اَلْحَبَشَةِ فَخَطَبَهَا اَلنَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ فَسَاقَ عَنْهُ اَلنَّجَاشِيُّ أَرْبَعَةَ آلاَفِ دِرْهَمٍ فَمِنْ ثَمَّ هَؤُلاَءِ يَأْخُذُونَ بِهِ فَأَمَّا اَلْأَصْلُ فَاثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ أُوقِيَّةً وَ نَشٌّ".
Hariz narrated from Muhammad ibn Ishaq who said: Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir عليه السلام said: "Do you know why the dowries of women became four thousand dirhams?" I said: "No." Imam عليه السلام said: "Indeed, Umm Habibah, the daughter of Abu Sufyan, was in Abyssinia when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) proposed to her. The Negus (the king of Abyssinia) gave four thousand dirhams on his behalf as her dowry. Since then, people have followed this practice. However, the original dowry was twelve uqiyyah and a nash."
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Faqīh