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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Shiite Apologetics Question Eighteen What is meant by mut`ah (i.e. temporary marriage) and why is it allowed by Shiism? Answer: Marriage is a bond between a man and a woman; it may be either permanent, with no time specified when it is contracted, or temporary and limited in time. However, they are characteristically the same, and are both legitimate, the only difference being that one is permanent and the other one temporary.
They share the other conditions as specified below. There should be no religiously-defined barriers either of blood relation or relationship through marriage; otherwise, their marriage will be invalid. The dowry they both agree upon should be specified in the contract. The marriage duration must already be decided upon. The marriage contract must be religiously concluded.
The children born to them are legitimate and lawful; both religiously and officially, just like the children born through permanent marriage. Such children must be financially supported by the father; they inherit from both parents. When the marriage period terminates, the wife must observe the waiting period the Shariah has determined if she has not reached menopause. If she is pregnant, she should not remarry until she has given birth to her child.
Other regulations pertaining to permanent marriage must also be observed in temporary marriage. An important difference being that the husband does not have to financially support the wife, for the temporary marriage has been laid down to satisfy the (casual) needs. Another difference is that the wife does not inherit from the husband unless it has been specified in the marriage contract that she will. It is evident that these two differences do not have any effect on the nature of marriage.
It is generally believed that Islam is an ever- lasting and final religion that satisfies all human needs. Now, a young man who has to stay abroad for several years in order to follow up his studies, and cannot enter into a permanent marriage relationship because of his limited possibilities will have to choose one of the following three ways: a. to remain a bachelor, b. to indulge into indecent relationship c. to marry a woman temporarily, based on the aforementioned regulations.
The first choice is doomed to failure because although there are a few people who can tolerate a celibate life, this is not possible for all.