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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Prohibition of Two Lawful Pleasures: a Critical Assessment of Prohibition of Mut'a of Hajj and Mut'a Marriage Section Two: Temporary Marriage What is temporary marriage? In a temporary marriage a free and wise woman concludes a marriage contract with a Muslim man on a specified dowry and time and the man accepts the contract. This is called temporary or mut'a marriage.

The conditions necessary for this kind of marriage are the same as those needed for permanent marriage. Among these conditions is that there should not be any obstacle (on the way of this marriage) whether by blood or by marriage. In this kind of marriage like the permanent marriage, it is permissible to give power of attorney to a concluder of marriage. The child they will have will be legitimate belonging to its father.

All the consequences of permanent marriage including mahramiyat (intimacy) and iddah (a period during which a divorced or widowed woman many not be married to another man) can be followed through temporal marriage. The difference between these two kinds of marriages is that in temporary marriage separation can take place with the expiration of the time fixed or the exemption of the remaining time without applying divorce.

The idda period in this kind of marriage is two menstrual periods for women who have reached menopause. This is to say if the woman in question has goat her period. Otherwise idda period will be 45 days. Among other conditions of this kind of marriage is that man and woman do not inherit from each other and man is not supposed to sponsor her.

The fact that temporary marriage has its specific rules and regulations not available in permanent marriage does mean that there are two kinds of marriages in Islam. It does not imply either that temporary marriage is like marriage of bond women, different from permanent marriage. The difference between the two is limited to a few legal words.

Arguments for temporary marriage The Holy Quran, prophetic tradition and the consensus among Shia and Sunni scholars signify that this kind of marriage was legitimate and current in Islam. Here are the arguments for this kind of marriage.