Evaluating the Validity of Unreasonable Dowries and the Challenge of Inheriting the Right to its Claim

Dowry is considered one of the social traditions rooted in religious principles in Iranian society. The diverse functions of dowry have led this tradition to persist over the years. In recent decades, the prevalence of exorbitant and unreasonable dowries and its social harmful consequences have prompted a reexamination of the legal and jurisprudential nature of such dowries. One of the undesirable consequences is the inheritance of the right to claim them, leading to the prolonged existence of the cases related to it for many years. In this article, the mentioned problem has been examined with a descriptive- analytic method.  It appears that solutions based on invalidating unreasonable dowries or relying on evidence indicating the non-inheritance of such rights are not adequate. Hence, as an alternative way, proposing agreements contract like dowry including its positive function but devoid of undesirable consequences is suggested. Such contracts will not addressed to this subject and solve the interpretation of the parties’ intentions, clarify the conditions of mutual consent, and other complex issues around the topic of unreasonable dowries.