Most Sunni scholars of exegesis have explained “enjoyment”...
Most Sunni scholars of exegesis have explained “enjoyment” in this verse as the mut’a marriage. But Ibn Abbās, Ubayy ibn Ka’b and Sa’īd ibn Jubayr read this verse as though it says: “From whoever among them you derive a pleasure for a pre-determined period, you must give them their dowers.”[^3] Explaining this verse in his Tafsīr , Ibn Kathīr said the following: “It is far-fetched that these should believe in the distortion of the Qur’ān; therefore, it must be intended for interpretation rather than recitation...”[^4] But Islamic sects differed about the continuity of permitting this sort of marriage, and the problem became: Was the mut’a marriage prohibited or did it remain as is?
The following hadīth proves beyond any doubt that the Messenger of Allāh (ṣ) passed away without having prohibited the mut’a marriage: ‘Imrān is quoted as having said, “The verse of mut’a was revealed in the Book of Allāh (ṣ), so we acted upon it in the company of the Messenger of Allāh (ṣ), and no verse was ever revealed prohibiting it, nor did he (ṣ) ban it till his death.
A man [apparently referring to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb] said according to his own personal view whatever he wanted to say.”[^5] It is stated in Sharh al-Bāri ‘ala Sahīh al-Bukhāri that the man referred to in the hadīth cited above is caliph ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb.[^6] This supports what Muslim narrates in his Sahīh relying on the authority of Abū Nadra who has said, “I was with Jābir ibn Abdullāh [al-Ansāri] when someone came to him and said, ‘[Abdullāh] Ibn Abbās and [Abdullāh] ibn al-Zubayr differed with each other about both types of mut’a .’ Jābir said, ‘We did them both in the company of the Messenger of Allāh (ṣ), then ‘Umar prohibited us from doing them; so, we did not return to doing them.”[^7] Also in Muslim’s Sahīh , with isnād traced back to ‘Atā’ who has said, “Jābir ibn Abdullāh came to perform the ‘umra .
We, therefore, went to his house. People asked him about things, then they mentioned mut’a .