A marriage settlement of property on the wife; it is a necessary concomitant of a contract of marriage among Mohammadans; a marriage portion or gift or gift settled on a wife before marriage. Dower. [P Ramanatha Aiyer’s The Law Lexicon]

Mahr is dower or marriage gift among Mohammadans settled upon a wife before marriage; it may be either Muajil, prompt, immediate, or Muwajil, deferred to some specified time. If no amount of dower is agreed upon at the time of marriage, the wife is entitled to a customary provision, Mahr-i-misl, or one suited to her condition. The written contract of dower or marriage settlement. [Wilson’s Glossary]