What is Mutah?

[Nadir Shah]

In the next topic I will clarify why the Shi'ites are not part of the Islaamic Ummah

Though that is of no practical concern to me, but we shall see about that.

[Mutakhasis]

The Mutah Pimps

Adapted from an article written by Dr. Donna M. Hughes who is a Professor and holds the Carlson Endowed Chair in Women’s Studies at the University of Rhode Island.

According to an official source in Tehran, there has been a 635 percent increase in the number of teenage girls in prostitution, or rather, Mutah. The magnitude of this statistic conveys how rapidly this form of abuse has grown. In Tehran, there are an estimated 84,000 women and girls in prostitution, many of them are on the streets, others are in the 250 brothels that reportedly operate in the city. The trade is also international: thousands of Iranian women and girls have been been “contracted in Mutah” to foreigners abroad. The head of Iran’s Interpol bureau believes that the Mutah trade is one of the most profitable activities in Iran today.

High unemployment – 28 percent for youth 15-29 years of age and 43 percent for women 15-20 years of age - is a serious factor in driving restless youth to accept Mutah. The Mutah “pimps” take advantage of any opportunity in which women and children are vulnerable. For example, following the recent earthquake in Bam, orphaned girls have been contracted out in Tehran where Iranian and foreign traders meet.

Popular destinations for girls sent for Mutah are the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf. According to the head of the Tehran province judiciary, Mutah traffickers target girls between 13 and 17, although there are reports of some girls as young as 8 and 10, to send to Arab countries. The number of Iranian women and girls who are deported from Persian Gulf countries indicates the magnitude of the trade.

Police have uncovered a number of Mutah rings operating from Tehran that have sold girls to France, Britain, Turkey, as well. One network based in Turkey bought smuggled Iranian women and girls, gave them fake passports, and transported them to European and Persian Gulf countries. In one case, a 16-year-old girl was smuggled to Turkey, and then sold in Mutah to a 58-year-old European national for $20,000.

In the northeastern Iranian province of Khorasan, local police report that girls are being sold in Mutah to Pakistani men. The Pakistani men temporarily marry the girls, ranging in age from 12 to 20; they are also sent to Mutah brothels called “Kharabat” in Pakistan. One network was caught contacting poor families around Mashad and offering to temporary marry girls. The girls were then taken through Afghanistan to Pakistan where they were sent to Mutah brothels to work. In the southeastern border province of Sistan Baluchestan, thousands of Iranian girls reportedly have been sold in Mutah to Afghani men. Their final destinations are unknown.

One factor contributing to the increase in prostitution and the sex slave trade is the number of teen girls who are running away from home. As a result of runaways, in Tehran alone there are an estimated 25,000 street children, most of them girls. Mutah “pimps” prey upon street children, runaways, and vulnerable high school girls in city parks. In one case, a woman was discovered selling Iranian girls to men in Persian Gulf countries; for four years, she had hunted down runaway girls and sold them. She even sold her own daughter for US$11,000.

In cities, shelters have been set-up to provide assistance for runaways. Officials who run these shelters are often corrupt; they run prostitution rings using the girls from the shelter. For example in Karaj, the former head of a Revolutionary Tribunal and seven other senior officials were arrested in connection with a Mutah prostitution ring that used 12 to 18 year old girls from a shelter called the Center of Islamic Orientation.

Other instances of corruption abound. There was a judge in Karaj who was involved in a network that identified young girls to be sold in Mutah abroad. And in Qom, the center for religious training in Iran, when a Mutah prostitution ring was broken up, some of the people arrested were from government agencies, including the Department of Justice.

Officials of the Social Department of the Interior Ministry are worried about the increase in sexually transmitted diseases. Unlike other Muslim countries which have a relatively low HIV rate in comparison to the rest of the world, Iran is facing a long and hard battle with HIV due to the institution of Mutah, which is not permissible in the Sunni school of thought. At least 500,000 women make their living from Mutah in Iran, and at least 1.7 million women in Iran have engaged in it on a regular basis, according to sources in Tehran.

[Roshina]

The two main currents of faith of Islan cannot agree on a the interpretation of a single verse. How can we forsee a general adoption of Sharia based law and morality?

Exactly correct. It's one of the biggest problems among Muslims today and always has been. Do you see how one verse (rather, one word, even!) can be interpreted SO differently, depending on who's doing the interpretation?

Anyone who thinks that the Prophet never did allow mut'ah needs to read some hadiths.

I find it interesting how we're basically talking about how something is right or wrong when it has been discussed (with no conclusion, really) for the last 1400+ years. It's funnier that some of us think something's SO obvious when it's clearly not obvious if it's gonna have led to so much controversy and debate among the scholarly world.

Gosh.

[Mutakhasis]

Shi'ite Distortion of the Qur'an and Tampering with Mutah

And the following I quote from another source,

The argument number one that is present in most books that try to justify mutah is that the word in the Quran for Mutah is ISTIM'TAA. The argument is that the root word of ISTIM’TAA is M’TAA which sounds like MUTAH and so Mutah is allowed!

Yes indeed, this argument about root words and sounds in Arabic is clever, but does not really fit. It is almost like saying: 'Saddam sounds like Adam and so he must be Prophet Adam!' Sorry about the cheapness of this analogy but this is how Mutah is justified in most books that try to prove that Mutah is in the Quran.

So let us start the discussion by first accepting that the word Istimtaa does indeed mean mutah. Then look at verse 46:20 in the Quran. In this verse it is clearly written that those who do ‘istimtaa’ will burn in hell! So if Istimtaa is MTAA and if MTAA is mutah then it clearly means that those who do mutah are destined for hellfire!

Let us look closley in to the matter. In verse 4:24 the word istimtaa is used and it says that if your wife does istimtaa as per her marriage vows then agree to ‘gift’ her. But in verse 46:20 it says that those who do istimtaa for pleasure in this life will burn in hell. So if the word istimtaa is equal to the word mutah then it means that you can first give your mutah woman a ‘gift’ and then get ready to burn in hell afterwards if you had pleasure from it? How ridiculous is that! May be one way to reconcile the two verses is to say that you should do it, but don’t enjoy it! Just keep a stern face and think of of Britain, eh!

Another attempt to reconcile the two verses is to say that verse 46:20 only applies to kafirs. But then this would mean that if a Kafir enjoys it then he will enter hell, and if a Muslim enjoys it then it is okay. Would that not make the Quran a sectarian and an unfair book?

In fact no matter how much we try to reconcile the two verses to mutah we end up contradicting ourselves. The only conclusion to accept is that Istimtaa does not mean mutah. This would avoid the contradiction. But, I know, it is unrealistic to expect any establishment, especially a religious establishment, to admit that they got it totally wrong for so long. It is this one stark fact that every establishment refuses to accept, and the Shia establishment is not any different because it too has it’s power mongers.

So what does Istimtaa really mean? Well the best meaning is fulfil or to please. So when verse 4:24 says that if a wife does istimtaa then you should ‘gift’ her, it is actually saying that if your wife fulfils or pleases you by carrying out her vows in marriage then you should give her gifts as part of your marriage agreement. Then in verse 46:20 when it says that those who do ‘Istimtaa’ of the pleasures in life will enter hell, then it is saying that those who soley seek ‘fulfilment’ of pleasures in this life then they will enter hell. Clearly, we get total consistency and a higher level of understanding of the Quran when we use the word Istimtaa to mean fulfil or to please, and not use it as a word synonymous with Mutah.

Furthermore, Istimtaa is just a verb and not a noun like mutah. This itself shows that Istimtaa is not mutah. In addition, the meaning of any verb depends on the context in which it is used. In verses 4:24 we find that the context of 'Istimtaa' is saying to the man to appreciate his wife for fulfilling her vows. This would make sense because before Islam a wife was regarded as a property or as a slave where the expectation was to obey, but this verse changed that attitude, and said that men should appreciate their wives for their commitment to the marriage. If you read the verse carefully you see that the context is this verse is about appreciation, mutual agreement, equal respect and of having the chance to negotiate expectations as the marriage progresses. This verse is therefore fantastic for married couples to understand how they need to mutually work together for a successful life-long partnership. Furthermore, the context in this verse is totally against mutah as the same verse says: "Do not marry in lust!" It also says: Remain chaste! It also says 'gift her and does not use the word ‘mahr. The word for ‘gift’ is Anzurna which is the word used in this verse.

In fact there are more then 7 points in this verse which are against the context of mutah. Remember in mutah you do not 'gift' her but you 'pay' her a mahr. Furthermore, you 'pay' her mahr 'before' she fulfils not 'if' she fulfils. Yet the verse says that gift her ‘if’ she fulfils. And worst is that if this was a mutah verse then it would imply that you can do mutah with your slave girl and then return her back to her husband afterwards. This is because the verse starts by saying that you are forbidden to marry a married woman except if she is your slave girl! How shameless would that be if you are allowed to do mutah with a married slave girl for a temporary period and then, may be, return her to her nikkah husband? When you read the verse fully and analyse each point you realise how everything in this verse is totally against mutah. So instead of calling this a 'mutah verse' it should - in all honesty - be called 'anti-mutah verse.' There is no point in blindly insisting that this is a mutah verse just because some books claim it is. The holy Quran gives an answer to those who follow things that were wrong but that were sanctified in books. It says: “They forged it in their books and then claimed that it was from God. For them is nothing but perdition!”

[Roshina]

In the next topic I will clarify why the Shi'ites are not part of the Islaamic Ummah

OMG! N WAY! You're KIDDING me, buddy!

Wow. I'm speechless.

Again and again, we see the harms and danger of studying something from only ONE perspective -- that even from the point of view of the people we agree with and not from that of those we disagree with. Again and again, I emphasize the fact that in order to understand Shiism, we should study it from Shiites' perspective, not from Sunnis' (the historical enemies of the Shiites) perspective.

Meh, hopefully we'll learn as we grow older.

[Mutakhasis]

Post #36 eliminates the heretics claim of Mutah being in the Qur'an and exposes their deceitful weasel course

[Roshina]

@ Mukhtasis: You're giving us someone's interpretation of why Shiism is bad or un-Islamic. Why should I listen to this particular perspective and not the one posed by Shiites or Shiites-supporters instead? What makes one better than the other?

Both sides are using the same verses and giving different interpretations; why should I accept one, or give more attention to one, while rejecting or ignoring the other?

Both sides are using the exact same Book (Quran) as evidence for their beliefs.

Do you not see what's being done here? Do you not see how it's all about interpretation of the Text and not necessarily people's personal wishes?

[Nadir Shah]

Exactly correct. It's one of the biggest problems among Muslims today and always has been. Do you see how one verse (rather, one word, even!) can be interpreted SO differently, depending on who's doing the interpretation?

Anyone who thinks that the Prophet never did allow mut'ah needs to read some hadiths.

I find it interesting how we're basically talking about how something is right or wrong when it has been discussed (with no conclusion, really) for the last 1400+ years. It's funnier that some of us think something's SO obvious when it's clearly not obvious if it's gonna have led to so much controversy and debate among the scholarly world.

Gosh.

More proof, if ever any was needed, that no faith system can alone claim to stand for the whole truth. Not Judaism, not Christianity, not Islam. All religions have shortcomings and pitfalls. If Religion can play any part in any discourse benefitial to the cause of humanity, then we shall see. If not then all religions will go the way of the Papal Christianity of Medieval Europe.

[Nadir Shah]

Mutakhasis malgariya, why would you go to pains to prove Shiism wrong? Why can't you just allow a Shia to live as he sees correct in the light of the Koran?

[Mutakhasis]

OMG! N WAY! You're KIDDING me, buddy!

Wow. I'm speechless.

Again and again, we see the harms and danger of studying something from only ONE perspective -- that even from the point of view of the people we agree with and not from that of those we disagree with. Again and again, I emphasize the fact that in order to understand Shiism, we should study it from Shiites' perspective, not from Sunnis' (the historical enemies of the Shiites) perspective.

Meh, hopefully we'll learn as we grow older.

Speechless? I hope you remain that way for a long time and not spew anymore sewage.

You are a dishonest bigot who habitually attacks Islaam and slanders the great men like Abu Bakr. We didn't forget your fabrication of hadeeths and falsifying the sources to suite your adulterous mind.

You still haven't explained to me why you found Richard Dawkins nonsense as sensible. Maybe you spoke too quick as usual without first thinking it over?

You speak about an intellectually mutilated woman, you are a prime example of one, living off the illusion of knowledge.

[Nadir Shah]

Speechless? I hope you remain that way for a long time and not spew anymore sewage.

You are a dishonest bigot who habitually attacks Islaam and slanders the great men like Abu Bakr. We didn't forget your fabrication of hadeeths and falsifying the sources to suite your adulterous mind.

You still haven't explained to me why you found Richard Dawkins nonsense as sensible. Maybe you spoke too quick as usual without first thinking it over?

You speak about an intellectually mutilated woman, you are a prime example of one, living off the illusion of knowledge.

Malgariya, Is slandering the Caliphs kuffr? What if we do not agree with some or most or all (as the case maybe) of their actions?

[Roshina]

Yes indeed, this argument about root words and sounds in Arabic is clever, but does not really fit. It is almost like saying: 'Saddam sounds like Adam and so he must be Prophet Adam!'

LOL :P No. Anyone who knows Arabic would know that most Arabic words have three-letter root words. For "istamta'," it is "meem, taa, 'ayn." This is a fact in Arabic, bro :| It's not like "Adam and Sadaam," lol.

Believe me, if it was wrong, scholars of Arabic would've been the first to point it out.

So let us start the discussion by first accepting that the word Istimtaa does indeed mean mutah. Then look at verse 46:20 in the Quran. In this verse it is clearly written that those who do ‘istimtaa’ will burn in hell! So if Istimtaa is MTAA and if MTAA is mutah then it clearly means that those who do mutah are destined for hellfire!

Verse 46:20 reads: "And on the Day that the Unbelievers will be placed before the Fire, (It will be said to them): "Ye received your good things in the life of the world, and ye took your pleasure out of them: but today shall ye be recompensed with a Penalty of humiliation: for that ye were arrogant on earth without just cause, and that ye (ever) transgressed."

Umm... bro, what makes you (or the writer of your article) think that the this pleasure is referring to the pleasure of marriage?

And how does this explain verse 4:24 then?

4:24 says: "Also (prohibited are) women already married, except those whom your right hands possess: Thus hath Allah ordained (Prohibitions) against you: Except for these, all others are lawful, provided ye seek (them in marriage) with gifts from your property,- desiring chastity, not lust, seeing that ye derive benefit from them, give them their dowers (at least) as prescribed; but if, after a dower is prescribed, agree Mutually (to vary it), there is no blame on you, and Allah is All-knowing, All-wise."

Yusuf Ali uses "benefit.

Pickthal uses "content": "And all married women (are forbidden unto you) save those (captives) whom your right hands possess. It is a decree of Allah for you. Lawful unto you are all beyond those mentioned, so that ye seek them with your wealth in honest wedlock, not debauchery. And those of whom ye seek content (by marrying them), give unto them their portions as a duty. And there is no sin for you in what ye do by mutual agreement after the duty (hath been done). Lo! Allah is ever Knower, Wise."

Shakir uses "profit": "And all married women except those whom your right hands possess (this is) Allah's ordinance to you, and lawful for you are (all women) besides those, provided that you seek (them) with your property, taking (them) in marriage not committing fornication. Then as to those whom you profit by, give them their dowries as appointed; and there is no blame on you about what you mutually agree after what is appointed; surely Allah is Knowing, Wise."

What does this say to you?

Yes, the term can mean pleasure, benefit, etc.

Not sure about you, but to me, verse 46:20 seems to be talking more about living this life completely forgetting about God. It's more like, usin good things that God has blessed us with for our OWN pleasures but not to help others with, for instance. I'd think this would be obvious to all readers of the verse, but I guess not.

Verse 4:24, however, is talking about a temporary marriage, or marrying people temporarily for a personal benefits; the verse even says the contract can be lengthened with mutual consent.

Obviously, it's two different kinds of pleasure or benefits. One's worldly benefit with no concern for the hereafter; the other's pleasure with wives.

I'm sure you'll agree that ONE of the reasons people get married is so that they can gain pleasure that's "halaal." Mut'ah marriage happens to be one form of way of getting "halaal pleasure," as it's clearly permitted by the Quran or not deemed forbidden by the Quran.

So, yeah, the article you posted is too flawed for me to accept as credible. Who wrote it?

[Mutakhasis]

Mutakhasis malgariya, why would you go to pains to prove Shiism wrong? Why can't you just allow a Shia to live as he sees correct in the light of the Koran?

Dost, It's no pain at all, in fact very easy and exquisite

A Shi'ite is a contaminated person who spreads his trash in the mask of Islaam. This we can't let it happen and their continuous tampering of the Qur'an has led them to extinguish the light of guidance for them

Until they leave their crooked ways and accept Islaam, we can't remain deaf, dumb and blind to their corruption in the disguise of Islaam. We need to expose them and show that they're not following the Prophethood, rather are upon the path of the Devil

[Mutakhasis]

Qrr, again, your trash has been answered in post #36, at least pretend to be a honest poster

[Nadir Shah]

Dost, It's no pain at all, in fact very easy and exquisite

A Shi'ite is a contaminated person who spreads his trash in the mask of Islaam. This we can't let it happen and their continuous tampering of the Qur'an has led them to extinguish the light of guidance for them

Until they leave their crooked ways and accept Islaam, we can't remain deaf, dumb and blind to their corruption in the disguise of Islaam. We need to expose them and show that they're not following the Prophethood, rather are upon the path of the Devil

What stupidity is this? Who has tempered with the Quran? What makes them non-Moslems? You are blinded by the Wahhabi propaganda. I am sure you cannot defend your Sunni faith in front of a Shia.