Running Header: MUTA

Muta

[Name of the institute]

Muta

Introduction

In the traditional perspective Islam is generally viewed as a very rigid and strict religion, as it confines its followers from their desires and personal needs. However Islam is not bound to only one single school of thought, and in fact there are several different groups on the religions that have significantly diverse point of views. Among these groups the concept of the Muta marriage is a very popular subject, as the general Islamic society is divided into a lively and passionate debate on this phenomenon. Regardless of the controversial nature of the concept of Muta, it is however a widely used concept among various Islamic groups. The concept of Muta can essentially be defined as the temporary or the short term marriage among the single Muslim individuals, who seek to form intimate sexual relations within the confines of the religion. Islam has very strict policies on how a pious and religious individual should act against the opposite sex, and how they should maintain a level of respect (Ahmed, 1993, pp. 182). In this scenario the general Muslim population is directly prohibited from committing any irresponsible sexual activity, and they have to live their lives according o the primary teaching of Islam. As Islam has allowed people to commit in the intimate and physical relationships only after marriage, the single individuals find it very difficult to live their normal lives and establish relationships with others. Also young or even old individuals who do not want to commit themselves to a long term relationship ship, either due to their financial positions or their personal preferences; Muta presents a very attractive solution.

Muta is a very complex contract based marriage procedure, which requires both the bride and the groom to agree on the terms and than sign as per their consent. The historical perspective of the concept suggests that Muta was used in the ancient Arab society, as a tool for the poor to settle their debts with the rich landowners. As women were subjugated to various dilemmas and social inequality, this concept was used to trade the women as commodities. Certain Muslim scholars claim that the concept is very different form the teachings of the holy book of Islam, 'The Quran', and it is only an ancient and outdated practice used to defame and humiliate the status of women. It is a fact that the concept of Muta is widely used by certain Muslim communities as a way of fulfilling their sexual desires, by paying a female after the due consent process. Even though the concept has certain relations with the religion itself and certain faction of the Islamic community actually support it; it is drastically conflicting with the core ideology of the religion (Badran, 1996, pp. 32). The concept basically incorporates the agreement between a man and a woman to have short term intimate relations, for which the females are generally, paid a certain amount of monetary funds.

The nature of the contract is varied in ...