Prevalence. Family and commercial law are the most developed branches of Muslim law. Even today Muslim family or "personal status" law tends to prevail in most Muslim countries, with the exception of Turkey, Central Asia, and to some extent Tunisia. Family law can be divided into several categories, the most important of which are laws governing marriage, divorce, guardianship and child custody, and inheritance.

Wedlock. Marriage in Islam is more a civil contract between the two parties than a religious rite. Except in the Hanafi school of law, the approval of the bride's guardian is required. The bride must also give her consent. A mutually acceptable dowry is paid by the groom to the bride (Qur'an 4: 4, 19-21, 24-25). In order to facilitate marriage, the law has often emphasized that a dowry need not be large, but in practice it...