What is the Sharee‘ah ruling concerning paying the dowry a month or less before concluding the marriage contract so that the woman may buy her needs if she is in shortage of money?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

It is permissible to pay dowry before concluding the marriage contract if this is done by mutual consent. It should be known that dowry is not deserved except after the conclusion of the contract. If marriage is not complete, then the dowry should be given back to the suitor.

Allaah Knows best.