Mut'ah (arabic word)

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for other uses, see Muta

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Mut'ah is an Arabic word meaning literally "joy". As a term, its main connotation is Temporary Marriage (Arabic: Nikah Mut'ah).

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[edit] General meaning

The word is used in the name of the Battle of Mu'tah. The root m-t-' has a great number of meanings, some of which are listed by Ayatullah Maghniyah in his Fiqh al-Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq [1]:

“ Mut'ah has many meanings. In some cases it may mean to take benefit, such as when Allah (swt) refers to "They take the benefits of the worldly life." It may refer to increase, or it may refer to remaining, such as when He says: "He let them remain for a while." It may also refer to a gift, such as when He, Blessed be His Names, says: "They are gifted of knowledge." ”

The Hans-Wehr dictionary gives the following meanings for the root m-t-' [2]:

“ Verbal form: to carry away, take away; to be strong, firm, sold�To make enjoy; to furnish, equip supply; to give as a compensation�to gratify the eye; to make enjoy, to have the usufruct; to be blessed and to enjoy, savour, relish

Noun form: enjoyment, pleasure, delight, gratification; recreation; compensation paid to a divorced woman; Muta'h, temporary marriage, usufruct marriage contracted for a specified time.

 ”

[edit] Islamic Term

As an Islamic Term. Ayatullah Maghniyah in his Fiqh al-Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq continued [1]:

“ As far as the legal scholars, they talk about Mut'ah in the meaning of a gift, in the sense of what they make obligatory on a man who has married a woman without specifying a dowry, and then divorces her before having sexual relations. They would necessitate that the divorced woman be a gift that is appropriate for his economic status. This is based upon the ayat 236 of Surah al-Baqara: "There is no sin on you that you divorce women whom who you have not touched, and that you give them a gift (Mut'ah), the rich man based on his ability, and the poor based on his ability, a righteous gift which is a right over the pure ones." They also talk about Mut'ah in terms of hajj, which we have discussed elsewhere. Alongside of these uses, the scholars of law talk about Mut'ah in terms of a fixed-time marriage. There is universal consensus amongst Sunni and Shi'a scholars that Islam has legislated this, and that the Prophet (s) made this permissible. This is based upon ayah 24 of Surat an-Nisa': "When you have done Mut'ah with them, so give them the agreed upon dowry." ”

Of those three, the most common meanings are:

Those two terms should not be confused with each other, as they are separate things and the Islamic Term "Mut'ah" can denote one or both of the Islamic Term Mut'ah of Hajj and the Islamic Term Nikah Mut'ah.

As narrated in the Hadith of Umar's speech of forbidding Mut'ah, Umar banned "Mut'ah" during his time as Caliph. Sunnis, however, still practice a form of mutah called misyar. Sunni view that Nikah Mut'ah was abrogated, while Shi'a do not hold that view, hence they disagree on its current day permissibility.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Answering-Ansar.org :: Mut'ah, a comprehensive guide
  2. ^ Hans Wehr dictionary, p. 1045 [1]
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