The Kano State Sharia Commission has dismissed reports claiming it fixed marriage dowry (sadaki) in the state at ₦20,000, describing the interpretation as misleading.
Addressing journalists in his office on Monday, August 18, 2025, the Chairman of the Commission, Malam Abbas Abubakar Daneji, said the issue was discussed during a stakeholders’ meeting held the previous Thursday with the Zakkat and Hubusi Commission, the Hisbah Board, and other Islamic institutions.
According to him, the deliberations covered three major areas — zakat, compensation for wrongful killing (diyya), and marriage dowry. He explained that the stakeholders merely encouraged moderation in dowry to reduce the burden on intending couples.
“Sheikh Daneji said high dowry demands have discouraged many youths from getting married, hence the call for simplicity. The meeting agreed that ₦20,000 could serve as a minimum acceptable dowry, though families are free to agree on higher amounts,” the Commission clarified.
He stressed that Sharia provides that dowry should be simple and affordable to make marriage easier, citing Qur’anic injunctions and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that the best marriages are those contracted with little cost.
The clarification comes amid heated debate in Kano following reports that the Commission had pegged dowry at ₦20,000.
Meanwhile, the Thursday meeting also resolved that ₦150 million should be paid as diyya (compensation) for wrongful killing, while ₦985,000 was adopted as the zakat threshold, based on the current market value of the dirham.
Daneji emphasized that the Commission only seeks to promote affordability and ease in marriage, noting that the decision was reached after wide consultations with Islamic scholars and academics.
