nāma. The first of the documents is a form of certificate of marriage by a qāzi, and the second a legal document, in which it is clearly stated on what financial grounds the bride will stand during her married life and in case of her husband dying. Great divergence of opinion prevails in settling up the mahr nāma, for often the demands of the bride's father are invariably extortionate. Elders of the family intervene as a rule and arrange matters. In the marriage contract the husband may undertake to give his wife fifty rupees a month as pocket money, a certain portion of land or a house which will be registered in her name; in the event of her husband's death she will receive 10,000 gold or silver coins. The mahr—a legal share—of the wife is of two kinds: mahr-i-mu‘ ajjal and mahr-i-mufassal or muwajjal.
The first of these is one which the wife can demand at any time from her husband, while the second falls to her only on the death of her husband. In cases of divorce the husband has to give up his wife's mahr, and she can claim it whether it be mufassal or mu‘ajjal. All the obligations, it will be noted, are wholly on the husband's side. The girl's people do not commit themselves to any legal obligations.
An understanding being arrived at, a rough draft of the mahr nāma or qabāla nāma, as it is sometimes termed, is given to the qāzi to record on parchment. The marriage certificate presents no difficulty.
The wedding ceremony is conducted in the forenoon or as early in the morning as 5 a.m. A grand concert amuses the guests who sit up all night. Not even the piper on the Fort gate is allowed to snooze. Strict and parsimonious Afghans do away with singing, and other frivolous customs and a milād sharīf is all that may take place.
Milād sharīf is the process of reading passages from books which deal with the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.
It is amusing to witness the watchful guests rousing before dawn those who have fallen asleep, so that they may
