So what you enjoy [Astamta'] of it from them (4:24) Discussion on Mut'ah

 

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

One of the more bizarre and lamentable practices of the Twelver Shi’ah is the contracting of Mut’ah or so—called “temporary marriages”. This was a practice of the barbaric Arabs during the period of Jahiliyyah which the most holy Prophet Muhammad, sall Allahu ‘alaihi wasallam, absolutely and totally prohibited. Hence it is narrated by none other than Mawla Ali, radi Allahu ‘anhu:

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَهَى عَنْ مُتْعَةِ النِّسَاءِ يَوْمَ خَيْبَرَ وَعَنْ أَكْلِ الْحُمُرِ الإِنْسِيَّةِ‏

That the Messenger of Allah, sall Allahu ‘alaihi wasallam, prohibited Mut’ah on the day of Khaibar, and eating domestic donkeys (Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)

It should be obvious why the contracting of Mut’ah “marriages” is strictly prohibited in the Islamic Shari’ah. It is nothing but prostitution masquerading as marriage. Marriage by definition is intended as a permanent, lifelong union of a man and a woman. It is the bedrock of the family system and a traditional society which is one of the aims of Islam to establish and maintain. Shi’ite apologists argue that Mut’ah is a means to avoid the spread of fornication and adultery in a society. But their argument falls flat on its face when one realizes that it is in form virtually indistinguishable from prostitution, like saying that legalizing hard drugs will eliminate crime related to narcotics!

However, the primary argument of the Twelver Shi’ah is that Mut’ah has been sanctioned by the Quran itself, in the following Ayah:

فَمَا اسۡتَمۡتَعۡتُمۡ بِہٖ مِنۡہُنَّ فَاٰتُوۡہُنَّ اُجُوۡرَہُنَّ فَرِیۡضَۃً

So what you enjoy [astamta’] of it (marriage) from them then give them their due as an obligation

(Surah 4, Ayah 24)

The occurrence of the verb istamta’ which is of the same root as Mut’ah, is seized upon by the Twelver Shi’ah as a basis for their argument that this Ayah has sanctioned Mut’ah. The answer to this fallacious argument is that Mut’ah linguistically simply means enjoyment, and that enjoyment is something that is associated with an ordinary, permanent marriage. When Mut’ah is forbidden in the Shari’ah, it is not the linguistic meaning of deriving enjoyment from marital relations but rather Mut’ah as a term that refers to temporary marriage, which is contracted solely for the purpose of lustful enjoyment without any strings.

Here I shall quote from the foundational Tafsir of Imam Ibn Jarir at-Tabari, rahmatullah ‘alaih, to present an accurate picture of the difference of opinion on the interpretation of the Ayah:

اختلف أهل التأويل في تأويل قوله فَمَا ٱسْتَمْتَعْتُمْ بِهِ مِنْهُنَّ فقال بعضهم معناه فما نكحتم منهنّ فجامعتموهنّ يعني من النساء

Imam at-Tabari begins by mentioning that the people of Ta’wil, meaning the Mufassirin, have differed as to the interpretation of the Ayah “So when you enjoy [astamta’] of it from them”. Some say its meaning is that when you contract Nikah with them and have sexual relations with them, that is, of women.

This is indeed the established interpretation and understanding of the Ayah by Ahl us-Sunnah, the Sunni Muslims, as I have explained that the Ayah means deriving enjoyment from an ordinary, permanent marriage, the enjoyment referring to sexual relations with one’s wife, and is not referring to the practice of Mut’ah or “temporary marriage”.

Imam at-Tabari then quotes a narration from sayyidina Ibn Abbas, radi Allahu ‘anhuma:

حدثني المثنى قال ثنا عبد الله بن صالح قال ثنى معاوية بن صالح عن عليّ بن أبي طلحة عن ابن عباس قوله فَمَا ٱسْتَمْتَعْتُمْ بِهِ مِنْهُنَّ فَـئَاتُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ فَرِيضَةً يقول إذا تزوّج الرجل منكم المرأة ثم نكحها مرة واحدة فقد وجب صداقها كله والاستمتاع هو النكاح وهو قوله وَءَاتُواْ ٱلنِّسَآءَ صَدُقَٰتِهِنَّ نِحْلَةً

Al-Muthanna reported to me, he said, Abdullah bin Salih reported to us, he said, Mu’awiyah bin Salih reported to me, from Ali bin Abi Talhah, from Ibn Abbas, His (Allah’s) saying: “So when you enjoy from it from them then give them their due as an obligation” (Surah 4, Ayah 24) he (Ibn Abbas) said: If a man among you marries a woman then has sexual relations with her (at least) once, her entire Sadaqah (dowry) becomes obligatory. And al-Astamta’ is Nikah (sexual relations), and it is His (Allah’s) saying: “And give the women their dowries willingly” (Surah 4, Ayah 4)

Imam at-Tabari goes on to narrate this same interpretation from several others, including al-Hasan al-Basri, Mujahid bin Jabr and Ibnu Zaid, may Allah be pleased with them all.

Imam at-Tabari then mentions the alternative interpretation, the one apparently favored by the Twelver Shi’ah to substantiate their practice of Mut’ah “temporary marriage”. Narrations to that effect are narrated from as-Suddi and Mujahid bin Jabr.

Imam at-Tabari then mentions that some have recited an alternative Qira’ah of the Ayah that goes like this:

فَما اسْتَمْتَعْتُمْ بِهِ مِنْهُنَّ إلى أجل مسمّى

So what you enjoy of it from them until an appointed term

Apparently, this alternative Qira’ah of the Ayah is narrated from Ubayy bin Ka’b, Ibn Abbas and Sa’id bin Jubair.

However, Imam at-Tabari has rightly argued for its rejection, saying:

وأما رُوي عن أبيّ بن كعب وابن عباس من قراءتهما فَمَا اسْتَمْتَعُتُمْ بِهِ مِنْهُنَّ إلى أجل مسمّى فقراءة بخلاف ما جاءت به مصاحف المسلمين وغير جائز لأحد أن يلحق في كتاب الله تعالى شيئاً لم يأت به الخبر القاطع العذر عمن لا يجوّز خلافه

As for what has been narrated on the authority of Ubayy bin Ka’b and Ibn Abbas of their Qira’ah “So what you enjoy of it from them until an appointed term” so this Qira’ah is in opposition to what has come in the Masahif (manuscripts of the Quran) of the Muslims. It is not allowed for anyone to add to the Book of Allah the Exalted anything that has not come in a definitive report [al-Khabr al-Qati’].

Imam at-Tabari quotes a Hadith from the Prophet, sall Allahu ‘alaihi wasallam, which clearly indicates that what is intended by astamta’ is enjoyment derived from women in an ordinary, permanent marriage:

حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ سَبْرَةَ الْجُهَنِيُّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ خَرَجْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَلَمَّا قَضَيْنَا عُمْرَتَنَا قَالَ لَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ‌اسْتَمْتِعُوا ‌مِنْ ‌هَذِهِ ‌النِّسَاءِ قَالَ وَالِاسْتِمْتَاعُ عِنْدَنَا يَوْمُ التَّزْوِيجِ قَالَ فَعَرَضْنَا ذَلِكَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ فَأَبَيْنَ إِلَّا أَنْ نَضْرِبَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُنَّ أَجَلًا قَالَ فَذَكَرْنَا ذَلِكَ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ افْعَلُوا

The Messenger of Allah, sall Allahu ‘alaihi wasallam, said to us, “Enjoy [astamti’u] these women”. And al-Istimta’ with us was marriage. So we offered that to the women and refused to set a term between us and them. We mentioned that to the Prophet, sall Allahu ‘alaihi wasallam, and he said, “You may do so”.

(Musnad Ahmad, v.24, p.68)

In his checking of the Musnad, Shu’aib Arnaut has declared the narrators of this Hadith to be all trustworthy men.