Mut'ah is an Arabic word meaning literary "joy". As a term, its main connotation is Temporary Marriage (Arabic: Nikah Mut'ah)
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 ("The Understanding of the Sacred Law Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq" (Shi'a Ja'fari madhhab)[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. |
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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.
Sunni view that Nikah Mut'ah was abrogated, while Shi'a do not hold that view, hence they disagree on its current day permissibility.
Sunni scholars do not consider Mut'ah marriage as legislative, rather they consider it Haram (prohibited). The version of Mut'ah for Sunni Muslims is Nikah Misyar, accepted largely as a secret way of marriage hence the meaning of the Arabic word Misyar (secret).