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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books A Shi'ite Encyclopedia (chapter 6) Temporary Marriage in Islam (part Vi) Similarities and Differences of Mut'a and Regular Marriage Some people assume that some of the Shia practices are not Islamic because they haven't heard about it before, or they do not know the justifications behind it. What I tried to prove by the previous parts of the discussion was: Temporary marriage was NOT invented by the Shia. Allah made it legal in the Quran (4:24).

There are authentic Sunni references which indicate that various companions did NOT agree on being it abolished. This happens to agree with the Shia point of view. It was also indicated that there are few allegations for its banning, but they are inconsistent and are weaker claims. Their variety is sufficient indication of the fact that they are based on opinion-only, mainly to justify the present situation. Also, not to mention their obvious conflict with above three points.

Moreover, the Hadith is always tested against the Quran and not the other way around. The Quran is always in the higher authority. In that effort, I was not trying to convince the Sunnis that Mut'a is permitted for them as a "Sunni", as much as, I was trying to show that the Shia point of view in this issue has a very strong basis in Quran and Hadith, and is not inconsistent with Islam and its documented history.

I also tried to illuminate the fact that Mut'a can be legal, depending on which companion's point of view we take. In this part and the next two parts, however, I would like to talk More about Mut'a itself, its specifications, regulations, advantages, and to answer some the questions which I received from the Sunnis on this issue. WARNING: What follows in this and the next parts is only a scientific discussion and in NO way it should be considered as some kind of verdict.

Interested readers may contact the Shia scholars or read books on Shia Jurisprudence to learn more about this issue, its terms, and its restrictions. Fixed-Term/Temporary/Pleasure/Mut'a Marriage is a contract between a man and woman, much in the same way the Long-Term/Conventional Marriage is. The same vows are exchanged by the partners or their authorized representatives in both cases, including stating the dowry.

In temporary marriage a fixed period of time (like one year, four years of college, etc.) should be clearly specified.