What is “Islamict?”
Well, attempting to reconstruct the question in the absence of the OP:
This is evidently a reference to mut’ah, which according to the Britannica is
As the article notes, pretty much all Muslims agree that such an institution was recognized during the days of Muhammed; however, the majority Sunni branch of Islam considers the practice no longer valid, it having been banned by the second caliph (successor to Muhammed). The main line of the minority Shi’ites, however, still defend the practice; here is probably far more information than you ever wanted to know about it, from a Shi’ite perspective.
The practice is based on Qur’an 4:24, which verse the encyclopedia translates as “And you are allowed to seek out wives with your wealth in decorous conduct, but not in fornication, but give them their reward for what you have enjoyed of them in keeping with your promise”. Here is a link to an online translation of the fourth Surah of the Qur’an, if you want to check it out for yourself (although frankly, trying to make heads or tails of much of that translation makes my head hurt). You could also check out this translation, which is a bit clearer, but doesn’t seem to give verse divisions. (As to which translation is actually more faithful to the original, I couldn’t say.)
Sorry; I have no idea what the heck happened to my question, which seems to have been eaten by The Board. Here’s a reconstruction (and it would be great if someone could post it up top, where it should have been):
In my line of work (immigration law), I frequently run across vital documents from all over the world. A while back, an Iranian marriage certificcate crossed my desk (from the mid-70’s, if that’s any help). It had the usual stuff on it: names of bride and groom, date, place, clergy officiating, witnesses, etc.
Then it had a couple of less usual items: what number wife she was (OK, I understand that one, but was surprised that it was still common enough practice by the mid-70’s to appear on the official forms), and “Type of Marriage: Permanent.”
So then what’s the alternative? A temporary mariage? OK, I know Islam allows divorce, but do people really go into marriages knowing from the outset that they will be temporary? How common is this throughout Islam, and what’s the story behind it, historically speaking?
I read an article the other day about temporary marriages in Iran, which is largly a legal fiction for prostitution. The article was about some trying to crack down on it for that reason. You get married for a few hours, have sex, pay the “wife”, and the marriage is over.
The Qu’ran verse quoted above seems to be saying that temporary marriage for the purpose of sex is not halal, unless it’s saying that it’s okay only if the wife gets paid.
I spent a great deal of time in Malaysia in the 90’s. Multiple marriages are practiced there but only among the very, very rich, particularly among the Sultans who are pseudo-royalty. You can have up to four wives but the first wife has right of refusal on all future wives. In practice, each new wife is ten to fifteen years younger than the previous one.
In the mid-90’s there was a movement in Malaysia called Al Arqam (sp?). It was quickly made illegal and its leaders were jailed. They were (accused of being) in the pratice of temporary marriages for the purposes of having sex. The idea was that if you are married, it is not sexual deviance. For them, I believe, it was a free love thing, not a prostitution thing.
That’s right, sex outside of marriage (among Moslems) is illegal in Malaysia. Homosexual sex for anyone is also illegal there. The Malaysian people are among the most friendly I have ever met. The Government there is downright scarey.
Haj
Yep; see above.
Yep; see above.
It was apparently accepted by all Muslims in the time of Muhammed, but is, since the mid-600’s or so, now confined to Shi’ites (which most Iranians are, of course). See above for links to an extensive discussion from a Shi’ite point of view.
Muslims here have told me the practice sometimes goes on in Saudi, where women can’t travel unless they’re with a husband or male relative. So sometimes a willing man will “marry” her for 24-hours so she can travel somewhere (if she has no husband/male relatives available). These marriages wouldn’t necessarily be consummated.
Thanks, Istara. I was just about to ask for examples of situations where either or both parties would want to enter a temporary marriage for reasons deeper than a little nookie. Anyone know of others?