Can he rent the traditional set of jewellery and then return it to the jeweller in order to get married?

 

A young man proposed marriage, but he cannot afford the traditional set of jewellery. He agreed with his fiancée to bring the jeweller to the house in order to please her family, then the young man will return the traditional set of jewellery to the jeweller one month after the celebration, in return for the groom paying the jeweller for renting this set for this one-month period, according to the price set by the jeweller. Is this regarded as riba? Is this haraam or halaal, because the young man’s marriage to this girl depends on his bringing this jewellery because her family are insisting on that? May Allaah reward you with good.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Firstly: 

The Standing Committee was asked a similar question, about
renting gold and silver jewellery for the woman to wear for her wedding,
then returning it two weeks later, for example, and paying for that. They
replied: 

The basic principle is that it is permissible to rent gold
and silver jewellery for one of the two currencies, or for something else,
for a known rent and period of time, after which the one who rents the
jewellery is to return it. And there is nothing wrong with taking collateral
for that. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah,
15/79-80 

The two currencies are
gold and silver, i.e., it is permissible to pay the rental fee in gold or
silver, or in the banknotes that people use nowadays. And Allaah knows
best. 

Secondly: 

Women’s fathers and guardians are advised not to make excessive demands with regard to the mahr (dowry), and not to burden prospective husbands with unreasonable demands as regards the mahr, traditional set of jewellery and furniture, etc. Such excessive demands are condemned in sharee’ah, as are the harmful consequences to which they lead. See question no. [12572].