Question
I want to know the concept of temporary marriage (Mut’ah) in Islam? Was it declared haram by the Holy Prophet (sws) or Hazrat ‘Umar (rta)? If it was banned by Holy Prophet (sws), then please provide reference.
Answer
Marriage for a predetermined period is Mut’ah. The practice is against the religious teachings and approved and established practices of Islam. Islam allows its adherents to enter in to bond of marriage on their free will according to the divine directives. Marriage it should be appreciated connotes a permanent contract and vow between a male and a female member of the society to spend their lives together forming a family. The term does not accept any such contract made merely as a subterfuge for illegal sexual relationship. The contract of marriage is well defined and well recognized not only in the Islamic religious code but all other religions and cultures of the world. This entails that any one who comes up with a new concept of marriage should furnish sufficient proof of its allowance in Islamic religious sources. We do not need to advance arguments against the said concept. Those who consider the practice allowed in Islam only rely on some narratives in the hadith literature. These traditions are in sheer contradiction to the most reliable source of religious knowledge, the Holy Qur’an and the established practices disseminated by the Prophet (sws) among the Ummah.
Answered by: Tariq Mahmood Hashmi
Date: 2015-03-10
