❖ Is Mut‘ah Forbidden While Relations With a Bondwoman Permissible? A Shar‘i Answer with Evidences ❖
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Volume 3, Issues of Nikāḥ and Ṭalāq, Page 166
A Shia individual asked:
“If Mut‘ah (temporary marriage) has been declared ḥarām (forbidden), then how can it be permissible for a man to engage in sexual relations with a bondwoman without marriage?”
This response has been divided into two sections:
➊ Rulings on Mutʿah and Evidences for Its Prohibition
➋ Permissibility of Relations With a Bondwoman, Supported by the Qur'an
Imām Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī رحمه الله narrated:
"أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم نهى عن متعة النساء يوم خيبر"
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade Mutʿah with women on the Day of Khaybar.
Al-Muwaṭṭāʾ Imām Mālik – Riwayah of Yaḥyā (2/542, Ḥadīth 1178)
Kitāb al-Umm by Imām al-Shāfiʿī (5/79, Ḥadīth 1634)
Musnad Aḥmad (1/79, Ḥadīth 593)
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (5115)
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (1407) – Dār al-Salām 3431
Authentication of Narrators:
◈ Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (Ibn al-Ḥanafiyyah) – Trustworthy and knowledgeable
◈ ʿAbdullāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib – Reliable
◈ Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib – Trustworthy jurist
◈ Imām al-Zuhrī – Used the term “akhbaranī” confirming direct hearing (samāʿ) – see Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (5115)
① Salamah ibn al-Akwaʿ رضي الله عنه:
Mutʿah was permitted during the year of Awtās, then it was forbidden.
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (1405) – Dār al-Salām 3418
② Sabrāh ibn Maʿbad al-Juhanī رضي الله عنه:
"يا أيها الناس إني قد كنت أذنت لكم في الاستمتاع من النساء وإن الله قد حرم ذلك إلى يوم القيامة"
O people! I had permitted you to engage in temporary marriage with women, but indeed, Allah has now made it ḥarām until the Day of Judgement.
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (1405) – Dār al-Salām 3422
③ Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه:
Nikāḥ, ṭalāq, ʿiddah, and inheritance have invalidated Mutʿah.
Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān al-Iḥsān (4137, 4149)
al-Mawārid (1267)
④ ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنه:
By Allah! The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade Mutʿah on the day of Khaybar.
al-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī (7/202)
⑤ ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه:
The Prophet ﷺ permitted Mutʿah three times, then prohibited it. If anyone marries through Mutʿah while married, I will stone him.
Sunan Ibn Mājah (1963)
al-Baḥr al-Zakhkhār by al-Bazzār (183)
"إنك امرؤٌ تائه"
You are a misguided man.
Musnad Abī ʿAwanah (2/276)
al-Sunan al-Kubrā (7/202)
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (1407) – Dār al-Salām 3423
◈ The prohibition of Mutʿah was agreed upon by ʿUmar, Ibn al-Zubayr, Ibn ʿAbbās, and many other Sahābah.
◈ Even Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنه retracted his earlier position in his later years.
Musnad Abī ʿAwanah (2/273, Ḥadīth 3284)
◈ Imām Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib:
“The verse of inheritance abrogated Mutʿah.”
Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah (4/292, Ḥadīth 17064)
◈ Imām Makḥūl al-Shāmī:
“That [Mutʿah] is nothing but zinā (fornication).”
Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah (4/294, Ḥadīth 17072)
◈ Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṭūsī narrated from ʿAlī رضي الله عنه:
"حرّم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله يوم خيبر لحوم الحمر الأهلية ونكاح المتعة"
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade domestic donkey meat and Mutʿah on the Day of Khaybar.
al-Istibṣār fīmā Ikhtalafa min al-Akhbār (Vol. 3, p. 202)
This narration aligns with Ahl al-Sunnah’s authentic ḥadīths and is a clear proof—not taqiyyah (concealment).
"ما رأيت قوماً أشبه بالنصارى من السبئية"
I have not seen a group more similar to Christians than the Saba’iyyah.
Aḥmad ibn Yūnus said: (They are the Rāfiḍah).
al-Sharīʿah by al-Ājurrī, p. 955, Ḥadīth 2028
﴿ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ ﴿٥﴾ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ ﴿٦﴾ فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَاءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ ﴿٧﴾
(Sūrah al-Muʾminūn, Verses 5–7)
◈ Believers guard their private parts except with their wives or what their right hands possess (bondwomen).
◈ Any sexual pursuit beyond these two is forbidden and considered transgression.
◈ A bondwoman, by Islamic law, held the legal status of a wife in terms of permissible intimacy.
◈ The institution of slavery and bondwomen no longer exists due to the abolishment of the Islamic caliphate.
◈ However, the ruling remains part of Islamic law as outlined by the Qur'an.
◈ Any relationship outside of marriage or lawful possession (as per Qur'anic standards) is strictly prohibited.
◈ Mutʿah was initially allowed in specific scenarios, such as during travel or military campaigns.
◈ Later, it was permanently forbidden until the Day of Judgement, as proven by multiple authentic ḥadīths.
Fatwā dated: 14 January 2010
✔ Mutʿah is definitively ḥarām, based on:
✔ Intimacy with a bondwoman was permissible because she legally took the status of a wife.
✔ In today’s era, neither Mutʿah nor any similar forms of sexual relationships (masturbation, illicit relationships, etc.) are permitted.
هٰذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Volume 3, Issues of Nikāḥ and Ṭalāq, Page 166
❀ Question:
A Shia individual asked:
“If Mut‘ah (temporary marriage) has been declared ḥarām (forbidden), then how can it be permissible for a man to engage in sexual relations with a bondwoman without marriage?”
❖ Structured Answer:
This response has been divided into two sections:
➊ Rulings on Mutʿah and Evidences for Its Prohibition
➋ Permissibility of Relations With a Bondwoman, Supported by the Qur'an
➊ Prohibition of Mutʿah: Evidences from Authentic Sources
❀ The Ḥadīth of Khaybar:
Imām Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī رحمه الله narrated:
"أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم نهى عن متعة النساء يوم خيبر"
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade Mutʿah with women on the Day of Khaybar.
Al-Muwaṭṭāʾ Imām Mālik – Riwayah of Yaḥyā (2/542, Ḥadīth 1178) Kitāb al-Umm by Imām al-Shāfiʿī (5/79, Ḥadīth 1634) Musnad Aḥmad (1/79, Ḥadīth 593) Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (5115) Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (1407) – Dār al-Salām 3431Authentication of Narrators:
◈ Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (Ibn al-Ḥanafiyyah) – Trustworthy and knowledgeable
◈ ʿAbdullāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib – Reliable
◈ Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib – Trustworthy jurist
◈ Imām al-Zuhrī – Used the term “akhbaranī” confirming direct hearing (samāʿ) – see Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (5115)
❀ Other Authentic Aḥādīth Proving the Prohibition of Mutʿah:
① Salamah ibn al-Akwaʿ رضي الله عنه:
Mutʿah was permitted during the year of Awtās, then it was forbidden.
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (1405) – Dār al-Salām 3418② Sabrāh ibn Maʿbad al-Juhanī رضي الله عنه:
"يا أيها الناس إني قد كنت أذنت لكم في الاستمتاع من النساء وإن الله قد حرم ذلك إلى يوم القيامة"
O people! I had permitted you to engage in temporary marriage with women, but indeed, Allah has now made it ḥarām until the Day of Judgement.
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (1405) – Dār al-Salām 3422③ Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه:
Nikāḥ, ṭalāq, ʿiddah, and inheritance have invalidated Mutʿah.
Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān al-Iḥsān (4137, 4149) al-Mawārid (1267)④ ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنه:
By Allah! The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade Mutʿah on the day of Khaybar.
al-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī (7/202)⑤ ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه:
The Prophet ﷺ permitted Mutʿah three times, then prohibited it. If anyone marries through Mutʿah while married, I will stone him.
Sunan Ibn Mājah (1963) al-Baḥr al-Zakhkhār by al-Bazzār (183)❀ Statement of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib رضي الله عنه:
"إنك امرؤٌ تائه"
You are a misguided man.
Musnad Abī ʿAwanah (2/276) al-Sunan al-Kubrā (7/202) Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (1407) – Dār al-Salām 3423❀ Consensus of the Companions:
◈ The prohibition of Mutʿah was agreed upon by ʿUmar, Ibn al-Zubayr, Ibn ʿAbbās, and many other Sahābah.
◈ Even Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنه retracted his earlier position in his later years.
Musnad Abī ʿAwanah (2/273, Ḥadīth 3284)❀ Statements of the Tābiʿīn:
◈ Imām Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib:
“The verse of inheritance abrogated Mutʿah.”
Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah (4/292, Ḥadīth 17064)◈ Imām Makḥūl al-Shāmī:
“That [Mutʿah] is nothing but zinā (fornication).”
Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah (4/294, Ḥadīth 17072)❀ Confession of Prohibition in Shia Sources:
◈ Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṭūsī narrated from ʿAlī رضي الله عنه:
"حرّم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله يوم خيبر لحوم الحمر الأهلية ونكاح المتعة"
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade domestic donkey meat and Mutʿah on the Day of Khaybar.
al-Istibṣār fīmā Ikhtalafa min al-Akhbār (Vol. 3, p. 202)This narration aligns with Ahl al-Sunnah’s authentic ḥadīths and is a clear proof—not taqiyyah (concealment).
❀ Statement of Imām al-Zuhrī:
"ما رأيت قوماً أشبه بالنصارى من السبئية"
I have not seen a group more similar to Christians than the Saba’iyyah.
Aḥmad ibn Yūnus said: (They are the Rāfiḍah).
al-Sharīʿah by al-Ājurrī, p. 955, Ḥadīth 2028➋ Permissibility of Relations With a Bondwoman – Evidenced from the Qur'an
﴿ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ ﴿٥﴾ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ ﴿٦﴾ فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَاءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ ﴿٧﴾
(Sūrah al-Muʾminūn, Verses 5–7)
❀ Explanation:
◈ Believers guard their private parts except with their wives or what their right hands possess (bondwomen).
◈ Any sexual pursuit beyond these two is forbidden and considered transgression.
◈ A bondwoman, by Islamic law, held the legal status of a wife in terms of permissible intimacy.
❀ Applicability in Modern Times:
◈ The institution of slavery and bondwomen no longer exists due to the abolishment of the Islamic caliphate.
◈ However, the ruling remains part of Islamic law as outlined by the Qur'an.
◈ Any relationship outside of marriage or lawful possession (as per Qur'anic standards) is strictly prohibited.
❀ Temporary Permission of Mutʿah & Its Permanent Prohibition:
◈ Mutʿah was initially allowed in specific scenarios, such as during travel or military campaigns.
◈ Later, it was permanently forbidden until the Day of Judgement, as proven by multiple authentic ḥadīths.
Fatwā dated: 14 January 2010
Summary of the Matter:
✔ Mutʿah is definitively ḥarām, based on:
- Authentic aḥādīth
- Consensus of the Companions
- Opinions of the Tābiʿīn
- Even certain Shia narrations
✔ Intimacy with a bondwoman was permissible because she legally took the status of a wife.
✔ In today’s era, neither Mutʿah nor any similar forms of sexual relationships (masturbation, illicit relationships, etc.) are permitted.
هٰذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
