Nikah mut'ah

"Mut'ah" redirects here. Not to be confused with Mu'tah, a town in Jordan.

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Nikah mut'ah[1][2] Arabic: نكاح المتعة, romanized: nikāḥ al-mutʿah, "pleasure marriage"; temporary marriage[3]: 1045  or Sigheh[4] (Persian: صیغه ، ازدواج موقت) is a private and verbal temporary marriage contract that is practiced in Twelver Shia Islam[5] in which the duration of the marriage and the mahr must be specified and agreed upon in advance.[1][6][7]: 242 [8]: 47–53  It is a private contract made in a verbal or written format. A declaration of the intent to marry and an acceptance of the terms are required as in other forms of marriage in Islam.[9] The Zaidi Shia reject Mutah marriage.[citation needed]

The length of a temporary marriage varies and can be as brief as an hour or stipulated as long as ninety-nine years. Traditionally, a temporary marriage does not require witnesses or registration, though taking witnesses is recommended.[10] The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, indicate the minimum duration of the marriage is debatable and durations of at least three days, three months or one year have been suggested.[1]

Some present this relationship as a more regular and kind of trial marriage compared to the free relationship between men and women in the West.[11]

Sunnis and Shiites agree that this marriage is a pre-Islamic Arabic tradition and is not prohibited by the Quran. According to Shiites, the tradition was approved by Muhammad and continued among Muslims during his lifetime. According to Sunnis, although the practice was initially approved by Muhammad, it was later banned by him. Both sides emphasize the sharp role of Caliph Omar in the ban.[12] Quran 4:24, which is referenced on the subject, is given with translations that highlight different understandings. (see: Hadith of Mut'ah and Imran ibn Husain)

Some Muslims and Western scholars have stated that both Nikah mut'ah[13] and Nikah misyar[14] are Islamically void attempts to religiously sanction prostitution which is otherwise forbidden.[15] Iranicaonline states that in Iran, which bans men and women from meeting freely, in order to overcome this ban, temporary marriage, which does not include sexuality, can be made with children and even infants in Iranian society, without any rules regarding marriage.[16]

  1. ^ a b c Esposito J. "The Oxford Dictionary of Islam." Archived 25 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine Oxford University Press 2003 p221 Accessed 15 March 2014.
  2. ^ "Temporary 'Enjoyment Marriages' in Vogue Again with Some Iraqis". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 3 March 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  3. ^ Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic: a compact version of the internationally recognized fourth edition Archived 19 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine Ed. JM Cowan. New York: Spoken Language Services, Inc., 1994. Print.
  4. ^ Sciolino, Elaine (4 October 2000). "Love Finds a Way in Iran: 'Temporary Marriage'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  5. ^ Mahmood, Shabnam; Nye, Catrin (13 May 2013). "I do, for now anyway". BBC News.
  6. ^ Berg H. "Method and theory in the study of Islamic origins". Brill 2003 ISBN 9004126023. Accessed at Google Books 15 March 2014. pp. 167-171,176
  7. ^ Hughes T. A Dictionary of Islam. Asian Educational Services 1 December 1995. Accessed 15 April 2014.
  8. ^ Pohl F. "Muslim world: modern muslim societies." Marshall Cavendish, 2010. ISBN 0761479279, 1780761479277 Accessed at Google Books 15 March 2014.
  9. ^ "I do... for now. UK Muslims revive temporary marriages". BBC News. 13 May 2013. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  10. ^ "Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica".
  11. ^ "Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica".
  12. ^ According to a number of traditions, the second caliph, ʿOmar, outlawed the custom of motʿa marriage, regarding it as a form of fornication, thus implying that its practitioners could face stoning.https://iranicaonline.org/articles/mota
  13. ^ Meri, Josef W.; Bacharach, Jere L. (1 January 2006). Medieval Islamic Civilization: L-Z, index. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780415966924.
  14. ^ Pohl, Florian (1 September 2010). Muslim World: Modern Muslim Societies. Marshall Cavendish. pp. 52–53. ISBN 9780761479277. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  15. ^ Turner, Bryan S. (1 January 2003). Islam: Islam, gender and family. Taylor & Francis US. p. 157. ISBN 9780415123501.
  16. ^ A nonsexual ṣiḡamay take place between two consenting adults, an adult and a child, children, or even infants (arranged by their parents in the latter cases). https://iranicaonline.org/articles/mota