In Islam, there’s a concept of lakum diinukum waliyadeen. If Shia people only practice Mut’ah marriage in their group and doesn’t try to bring others, I wouldn’t feel in need to write about this. One of the result of their effort was show in Indonesia Islam laws compilation proposal (Alhamdulillah, it was rejected but too bad that the reason of rejection wasn’t explained widely in public. They use that absent to propaganda their teaching.).

Mut’ah marriage is marriage for a fixed time on Mahr agreed with the woman, when the time expires the marriage comes to an end. In this marriage, woman has no right to get nafkah (i.e. financial support from husband) and heritance (if husband die before the marriage end). According to Shia belief, temporary marriage can be for years, one day, a night, and even just few hours and it also can be performed with harlots and prostitutes (Khomeini, “Tahir-ul-Wasila)

The child resulting in that relationship is considered legitimate as father’s responsibility. For whom who allow mut’a with financial insecurity reason, this law will be weird. If he’s not able to support a wife, how can he be able to support his kid?

Verse that Shia people bring on this subject is Qur’aan 4:24 by translating istimta’tum as mut’a marriage. They neglect verses before and after in explaining the real meaning of that verse (they do the very same thing in understanding the meaning of ahlul bait in Q33:33 according to their desire.). And if we back to the Arabic word, ‘istimta’tum’ means enjoys / has pleasure and that’s what husband get from his wife , so to define ‘istimta’tum’ as mut’ah marriage is improper. Moreover, the verse mentions about the dower that become obligatory to be paid after having pleasure, whereas mut’a marriage dower (mahr) must be paid before having pleasure. Those two reasons is enough to reject their claim about this verse as verse of mut’a marriage.

There’s different opinion about mut’a marriage in Shia people, some say that it’s only in extreme necessity (i.e. basicaly haraam) and most consider this as a good and originally halaal deed. Originally halaal means that mut’a marriage can be done in every circumstance with unlimited numbers of women at same time.

Muslim Bk 8, Number 3261:

'Urwa b. Zabair reported that 'Abdullah b. Zubair (Allah be pleased with him) stood up (and delivered an address) in Mecca saying: Allah has made blind the hearts of some people as He has deprived them of eyesight that they give religious verdict in favour of temporary marriage, while he was alluding to a person (Ibn 'Abbas). Ibn Abbas called him and said: You are an uncouth person, devoid of sense. By my life, Mut'a was practised during the lifetime of the leader of the pious (he meant Allah's Messenger, may peace be upon him), and Ibn Zubair said to him: just do it yourselves, and by Allah, if you do that I will stone you with your stones. Ibn Shihab said. Khalid b. Muhajir b. Saifullah informed me: While I was sitting in the company of a person, a person came to him and he asked for a religious verdict about Mut'a and he permitted him to do it. Ibn Abu 'Amrah al−Ansari (Allah be pleased with him) said to him: Be gentle. It was permitted in− the early days of Islam, (for one) who was driven to it under the stress of necessity just as (the eating of) carrion and the blood and flesh of swine and then Allah intensified (the commands of) His religion and prohibited it (altogether). Ibn Shihab reported: Rabi' b. Sabra told me that his father (Sabra) said: I contracted temporary marriage with a woman of Banu 'Amir for two cloaks during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) ; then he forbade us to do Mut'a. Ibn Shihab said: I heard Rabi' b. Sabra narrating it to Umar b. 'Abd al−'Aziz and I was sitting there.

Actually, from hadith we know that prophet ever allowed mut’a marriage only in two occasions (war of Khaibar and conquest Mecca ), each in a very short limited time. Actually, from that, it’s so obvious that this practice is originally haraam. Why did they need prophet’s permission when it’s originally halaal?

Hadrat Ibn Abbas (radiyallahu ‘anhu) says: Mut’ah was there only in the early period of al-Islam until the Ayat—Illaa ‘alaa azwaajihim awmaa malakat aymaanuhum—was revealed. Then, he said: All private parts other that these are unlawful (that is other than those of the legally wedded wife and the bondwoman one may come to have). (H.R. Al Tirmidhi)

‘Illaa ‘alaa azwaajihim awmaa malakat aymaanuhum’ (23:6) was revealed in Mecca (before Khaiber and Conquer of Mecca), so since that time mut’ah had been forbidden. That’s why in those two wars, companions needed prophet permission to do mut’ah marriage as rukhsah.

But, then prophet forbade it forever until the day of resurrection (no more rukhsah).

Sabra al-Juhanni reported on the authority of his father that while he was with Allah messenger (may peace be upon him) he said: o people, i had permitted you to contract temporary marriage with woman, but Allah has forbidden it(now) until the day of resurrection. So he who has any(woman with this type of marriage contract) he should let her off, and do not take back anything you have given to her(as dower). (H.R. Muslim)

Shia always say that mut’a was banned by Umar. In this case, they neglect many hadith about the ban of mut’a marriage by prophet and choose hadith from the man they hate so much (Umar), just because it can be used to back up their desire.

Some Shia defend mut’a marriage as the way to protect people, who is not able to marry, from adultery. Actually, Allah and prophet already gave us some ways out about this problem:

1. keep chaste

Q24: 33. And let those who find not the wherewithal for marriage keep themselves chaste till Allah give them means out of His grace…

2. marry believing maid

Q4:25. And whoso is not able to afford to marry free, believing women, let them marry from the believing maids whom your right hands possess. Allah knoweth best (concerning) your faith. Ye (proceed) one from another; so wed them by permission of their folk, and give unto them their portions in kindness, they being honest, not debauched nor of loose conduct. And if when they are honourably married they commit lewdness they shall incur the half of the punishment (prescribed) for free women (in that case). This is for him among you who feareth to commit sin. But to have patience would be better for you. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

3. fasting

Narrated 'Alqama: While I was walking with 'Abdullah he said, "We were in the company of the Prophet and he said, 'He who can afford to marry should marry, because it will help him refrain from looking at other women, and save his private parts from committing illegal sexual relation; and he who cannot afford to marry is advised to fast, as fasting will diminish his sexual power." (Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 31, Number 129)

Why should they need to find other way out beside those? God and prophet knows more then them.

As any others of God’s laws, there’s wisdom in prohibition of mut’a marriage. The disadvantages of mut’a is much bigger then the advantage.

Disadvantages of mut’a marriage:

1. humiliate woman

Imam Abi-Abdullah narrated: ‘Do not do muta'a with a believer woman..because you will humiliate her by doing that.’ (shiya sources: Tahdeeb: vol. 7, pg. 253, rewaya 14:21; Istibsaar: vol. 3, pg. 143, rewaya 4:93)

In mut’a, woman doesn’t have any rights as wife. Man doesn’t have obligatory to afford her life when they are in mut’a. Woman has obligatory to wait for 45 days before she can enter new mut’a but she doesn’t have any right to have nafkah in her iddah time (against God’s law about iddah). She has obligatory but loose many rights, she means nothing but to satisfy man’s lust.

2. free sex culture

There’s one Shia tried to assure me that sex activity is like basic need as food and water and prohibition to do sex before having permanent marriage is impracticable nowadays. His opinion makes sense because in his religion (Shia), they neglect the teaching about chastity and controlling sexual desires. But he missed one important point: there are many others Muslim in this world who have more fear to God then him and are able to control their lust.

There’s very big similarity between mut’a and prostitution nowadays. They both can result the spreading of sex disease, AIDS, etc.

3. Man’s will to commit in permanent marriage decrease / lost.

There’s a man who said: “when you can get free cow, why should you buy?” That’s human nature to choose the easiest way to have fun with less responsibility, especially when it’s permitted. What they want from marriage can be gotten easily in mut’a. They doesn’t need to afford any woman’s life, and they can do it with unlimited numbers of women at the same time.

4. damage family values

Man and woman who do mut’a put their kid (as a result of mut’a) in broken family even since the kid isn’t born yet.

5. etc

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