Muslim Prostitution

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Temporary Marriage

Question:
Does Islam have a loophole for sex-on-demand called ‘temporary marriage’?

Summary Answer:
It is called Nikah Mut’ah, a fixed-time arrangement between a man and a woman that dissolves once the duration expires.

The Qur’an:
Qur’an (4:24) – “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)”

Qur’an (5:87) – “O you who believe! do not forbid (yourselves) the good things which Allah has made lawful for you and do not exceed the limits; surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits” Surprisingly the context for this verse (which is found in Bukhari (60:139) is temporary marriage, in this case trading an article of clothing for a few days of access to a woman’s body. By calling this a “good thing,” Muhammad really stood traditional morality on its ear.

From the Hadith:

Muslim (8:3252) – Muhammad clearly allowed his men to use temporary marriage as a sanctioned form of prostitution. (To be fair, the end of the hadith also seems to suggest that the practice was later forbidden. Islamic scholars disagree as to the historical context, and whether or not it is enough to supersede verse 4:24 of the Qur’an).

Additional Notes:

Since temporary marriage is a euphemism for prostitution, the Sunnis believe that it should only be practiced in certain times (such as the lifetime of Muhammad… oddly enough). The Shias take a more liberal position and freely allow the practice.

Related articles

• Multiple ARABIC Quran Versions (paulmarcelrene.wordpress.com)
• Sharia (paulmarcelrene.wordpress.com)
• The Quran permits men to marry prepubescent girls (paulmarcelrene.wordpress.com)
• 13 Strange Rules of Islam (paulmarcelrene.wordpress.com)