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TEMPORARY MARRIAGE, A SHIA PRACTICE
Iranian wedding ceremony
Temporary marriage, “mutah”, is distinctive and frequently misunderstood custom found in Shia Islam. Mutah is a fixed-term contract that is subject to renewal. It was practiced by the first community of Muslims at Medina but was banned by the second caliph. Mutah differs from permanent marriage in that it does not require divorce to terminate it. It can be for a period as short as an evening or as long as a lifetime. The offspring of such an arrangement are the legitimate heirs of the man. [Source: Helen Chapin Metz, Library of Congress, 1988 *]
Temporary marriages evolved as way of dealing with widowhood. George P. Monger wrote in “Marriage Customs of the World From Henna to Honeymoons”: “ The position of a widow in Islamic society has been difficult, since, by custom, a woman is not allowed to work outside the home. The prophet Muhammad sanctioned a temporary marriage—sigheh in Iran and muta’a in Iraq— which is a form of prostitution for widows and divorced women, especially during times of war, to enable them to provide for their families. The Sunni Muslims do not follow this practice—they consider it outdated and subject to abuse. However, the Shia Muslims consider this view blasphemous because the practice was sanctioned by the Prophet, and they still practice temporary marriage. [Source: “Marriage Customs of the World From Henna to Honeymoons”: “ by George P. Monger, 2004 ^]
Nancy Trejos wrote in the Washington Post, “Shia clerics and others who practice mutaa say such marriages are keeping young women from having unwed sex and widowed or divorced women from resorting to prostitution to make money. They say a mutaa marriage is not much different from a traditional marriage in which the husband pays the wife's family a dowry and provides for her financially. "It was designed as a humanitarian help for women," said Mahdi al-Shog, a Shia cleric. According to Shia religious law, a mutaa relationship can last for a few minutes or several years. A man can have an unlimited number of mutaa wives and a permanent wife at the same time. A woman can have only one husband at a time, permanent or temporary. No written contract or official ceremony is required in a mutaa. When the time limit ends, the man and woman go their separate ways with none of the messiness of a regular divorce. [Source: Nancy Trejos, Washington Post, January 20, 2007]
Websites on Shia Muslims (Shiites) Shafaqna: International Shia News Agency shafaqna.com ; Roshd.org, a Shia Website roshd.org/eng ; The Shiapedia, an online Shia encyclopedia web.archive.org ; Imam Al-Khoei Foundation (Twelver) al-khoei.org ; Official Website of Nizari Ismaili (Ismaili) the.ismaili ; Official Website of Alavi Bohra (Ismaili) alavibohra.org ; The Institute of Ismaili Studies (Ismaili) web.archive.org
Terms of Temporary Marriages
Temporary marriages can last for a few minutes or 99 years and are sanctified with an oral or written contract and by reciting some verses from the Qur’an. Women usually receive money for entering into such a union The contract states the agreed-upon period of time of the marriage and the amount of money paid.
A woman cannot terminate a temporary marriage before it expires unless the man agrees. Once the marriage is over, she has to wait at least two menstrual cycles before she can have another relationship so that paternity can be easily determined if she becomes pregnant.
Unlike permanent marriages, which require consent of the parents, a temporary marriage can often be worked out secretly by the couple. The customs vary from place to place but in most cases witnesses need not be present and the marriages doesn’t have to be registered.
In many cases, though, a woman must let a significant amount of time pass after a temporary marriage ends before she can enter a permanent marriage. She is also required to abstain from sex for a period of time so that if she get pregnant she can identify who the father is. The father is required by law to support children resulting from a temporary marriage. If he denies his child’s legitimacy he is not required to be responsible for the child as he would be in a permanent marriage
Circumstances for Temporary Marriages
Kurmanji bride and groom in North Khorasan, Iran
Both Shia and Sunni Muslims allow men to have more than one permanent wife, but they disagree over mutaa. Most Shia believe that the prophet Muhammad encouraged the practice as a way to give widows an income. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraq's most revered Shia cleric, has sanctioned it and offers advice on his Web site. [Source: Washington Post]
Temporary marriages in Iran are used to provide financial support for widows but mostly they are for pleasure, serve as a way for young people to have sex or provide a legalized form of prostitution. The arrangement suits men. Young women can have problems because they expected to be virgins when they get permanently married. [Source: New York Times]
Temporary marriages are associated with urban life. They are often entered into by men that travel a lot. These arrangements are usually strictly for sex with men and women seeking each other out. Surprisingly, couples often meet at shrines or mosques use certain verbal and nonverbal signals to communicate with each other.
Temporary marriages were publically approved by the Islamic government which was looking for a way to handle the sexual desires of young men in a society in which young men and women are segregated. One cleric told the New York Times. “Temporary marriage brings more commitment between couples, and young men would be chase prostitutes.”
Temporary 'Enjoyment Marriages' in Iraq
Reporting from Baghdad,Nancy Trejos wrote in the Washington Post, “Fatima Ali was a 24-year-old divorcee with no high school diploma and no job. Shawket al-Rubae was a 34-year-old Shia sheik with a pregnant wife who, he said, could not have sex with him. Ali wanted someone to take care of her. Rubae wanted a companion. [Source: Nancy Trejos, Washington Post, January 20, 2007 ]
“They met one afternoon in May at the house he shares with his wife, in the room where he accepts visitors seeking his religious counsel. He had a proposal. Would Ali be his temporary wife? He would pay her 5,000 Iraqi dinars upfront — about $4 — in addition to her monthly expenses. About twice a week over the next eight months, he would summon her to a house he would rent. The negotiations took an hour and ended with an unwritten agreement, the couple recalled. Thus began their "mutaa," or enjoyment marriage, a temporary union believed by Shia Muslims to be sanctioned by Islamic law.
“The Shia practice began 1,400 years ago, in what is now Iraq and other parts of the region, as a way to provide for war widows. Banned by President Saddam Hussein's Sunni-led government, it has regained popularity since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq brought the majority Shia to power, said clerics, women's rights activists and mutaa spouses. "During Saddam's time, there was no religious freedom," said Faris al-Shareef, a sheik who lives in the mainly Shia city of Hilla.
“Many Sunnis believe that the practice is outdated and ripe for abuse. They also see it as more evidence of Iranian influence on Iraqi life. Mutaa is widespread in Iran's Shia theocratic state. "It is a big insult to women," said Ibtsam Z. Alsha, a Sunni lawyer and the head of the organization Women for the Common Good of Women. Women's rights activists also bemoan what they say is an increase in mutaa on college campuses. Some female students do it for money. Others do it for love when their parents forbid them to marry a man from another sect.
“Amani, a 22-year-old Baghdad University engineering student, said she is a Sunni but agreed to enter into a mutaa relationship with her Shia boyfriend because her parents disapproved of him. "I hated my family because they did not allow this marriage," she said. "I did this to spite my family." Still, she has not told them about the relationship. "If they find out, it will be my end," she said. A woman cannot terminate a temporary marriage before it expires unless the man agrees, said four sheiks interviewed for this article. Once the marriage is over, she has to wait at least two menstrual cycles before she can have another relationship so that paternity can be easily determined if she becomes pregnant, they said.
Critics of Temporary 'Enjoyment Marriages' in Iraq
Kurmanji bride
Nancy Trejos wrote in the Washington Post, “Opponents of mutaa, most of them Sunni Arabs, say it is less about religious freedom and more about economic exploitation. Thousands of men are dying in the sectarian violence that has followed the invasion, leaving behind widows who must fend for themselves. Many young men are out of work and prefer temporary over permanent wives who require long-term financial commitments. In a mutaa arrangement, the woman is entitled to payment only for the duration of the marriage. [Source: Nancy Trejos, Washington Post, January 20, 2007 ]
"It's a cover for prostitution," said Um Akram, a women's rights activist in Baghdad. "Some women, because they don't want to be prostitutes, they think that this is legal because it's got some kind of religious cover. But it is wrong, and they're still prostitutes from the society's point of view." Um Akram, like the mutaa spouses interviewed, asked that only parts of her name be published.
“Many intellectuals consider ancient traditions such as these an obstacle to Iraq's effort to become a more modern, democratic society. In recent years, extremist religious groups have gained more power in Iraq. "These steps are taking the whole country backwards and are definitely hurdles to the advancement of the country," said Hamdia Ahmed, a former member of parliament and a women's rights activist in Baghdad. "The only solution is to separate Islam from politics."
Stories Behind the Temporary 'Enjoyment Marriages' in Iraq
Nancy Trejos wrote in the Washington Post, Although the temporary arrangements are becoming more common, they are still controversial, and people usually conduct them secretly. Ali had a normal marriage once. It lasted only three months because the couple did not get along. Her chances for another permanent marriage, she said, were slim. Men often prefer virgins over widows and divorced women, she said. She welcomed Rubae's proposal because he was a well-known sheik in her neighborhood. Her family was fond of him. "He was a good guy, and he was a religious man," she said. [Source: Nancy Trejos, Washington Post, January 20, 2007 ]
“Rubae had been in 15 mutaa marriages before. A year ago he entered into a permanent marriage with a woman who had been his mutaa wife for a day. When she became pregnant eight months ago, she suggested he take a temporary wife but asked him not to tell her if he did. She does not know about his involvement with Ali. "As a pregnant woman, she cannot give me my needs," Rubae said. "She treats me real good and she wants me to be happy."
“He chose Ali partly because her blond hair, light brown eyes and petite figure had always attracted him. "When she puts makeup on, it destroys her beauty," he said. He also liked that she was religiously devout, and he said he wanted to keep her from a relationship outside of marriage. Ali didn't think of him in a romantic way at first. "After we got married, I started loving him," she said. The money he gave her helped. Her father owns a bakery but money has always been tight, so much so that she had to end her education after elementary school. But money wasn't her only reason for entering the enjoyment marriage. "I have needs just like any other woman," she said.
“Um Ahmed, a 28-year-old woman from Najaf, lost her husband in 2005 when he was caught in the crossfire of a fight between two Shia militias. Soon after his death, she had her first mutaa relationship, with a man who was in a permanent marriage. He paid her 50,000 Iraqi dinars upfront — or $38 — and gave her money whenever she needed it during their six-month relationship. She said she needed it often. She is a tailor and the only one in her family of 10 who works. "When a human being needs money, the need will make a person do anything," she said. "It's better than doing the wrong things. This is religiously accepted."
Temporary Marriages and Children in Iraq
Nancy Trejos wrote in the Washington Post, “Most mutaa contracts stipulate that no children be produced. If a woman were to become pregnant anyway, Islamic law would require the man to support the child, the sheiks said. But the clerics disagreed over how much power they have to impose that rule. Rubae said the man who refuses his child would be whipped or even killed. "We as the sheiks should be sure this thing will stay legitimate," he said. [Source: Nancy Trejos, Washington Post, January 20, 2007 ]
“Shareef, the sheik from Hilla, said some men take advantage of their rights under religious law but refuse to accept their responsibility when a child is born. In some of those cases, he said, a sharia court, using Islamic law, is not as effective as a secular court in enforcing the rules. "I am supporting the idea of the government regulating mutaa marriages, just like the permanent marriages, so these man cannot run away," he said. "Otherwise the women are losing their rights."
“Um Akram, the women's rights activist in Baghdad, said more women are asking her organization for help in getting national identification cards for children born of mutaa relationships. Parents must present a marriage certificate to obtain the identification cards, which are required by schools and employers. Um Akram said some single women have given up their children for adoption to married couples who can use their marriage certificates to register them. "The men just hit and run, and they don't want to have a family," she said. "The children are paying the price."
“Ali and Rubae agreed not to have children. They simply wanted to enjoy each other. On the days he could see her, he gave her flowers, perfume, clothing and a watch. They had meals together. Sometimes he could spend the whole day with her. Other times, just five or six hours. Ali said she cried when the marriage ended early last week. "It's just like a permanent marriage," she said. "When he leaves, I become sad." Her sorrow did not last long. Rubae said Jan. 12 that he had decided to marry her again. This time, he said, he would marry her for a year, enough time for his wife to fully recover from childbirth.”
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: Internet Islamic History Sourcebook: sourcebooks.fordham.edu ; Arab News, Jeddah; “Islam, a Short History” by Karen Armstrong; “A History of the Arab Peoples” by Albert Hourani (Faber and Faber, 1991); “World Religions” edited by Geoffrey Parrinder (Facts on File Publications, New York); “Encyclopedia of the World’s Religions” edited by R.C. Zaehner (Barnes & Noble Books, 1959); Metropolitan Museum of Art, Encyclopedia.com, National Geographic, BBC, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Library of Congress and various books and other publications.
Last updated April 2024