Definitions

Sorry, no definitions found. Check out and contribute to the discussion of this word!

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word mutaa.

Examples

  • Thus began their "mutaa," or enjoyment marriage, a temporary union believed by Shiite Muslims to be sanctioned by Islamic law.

    Hullabaloo 2007

  • No written contract or official ceremony is required in a mutaa.

    Hullabaloo 2007

  • They say a mutaa marriage is not much different from a traditional marriage in which the husband pays the wife's family a dowry and provides for her financially.

    Hullabaloo 2007

  • Women's rights activists also bemoan what they say is an increase in mutaa on college campuses.

    Hullabaloo 2007

  • You could make many jokes about the re-emergence of the mutaa arrangement temp wife in Iraq, but the situation is too tragic to laugh about.

    Hullabaloo 2007

  • A man can have an unlimited number of mutaa wives and a permanent wife at the same time.

    Hullabaloo 2007

  • According to Shiite religious law, a mutaa relationship can last for a few minutes or several years.

    Hullabaloo 2007

  • Um Akram, like the mutaa spouses interviewed, asked that only parts of her name be published.

    Hullabaloo 2007

  • Soon after his death, she had her first mutaa relationship, with a man who was in a permanent marriage.

    Hullabaloo 2007

  • Banned by President Saddam Hussein's Sunni-led government, it has regained popularity since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq brought the majority Shiites to power, said clerics, women's rights activists and mutaa spouses.

    Hullabaloo 2007

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • foreignpolicy.com: 'Mutaa is a form of "temporary marriage" only acceptable within Shiite communities, one that allows couples to have religiously sanctioned sex for a limited period of time, without any commitments, and without the obligatory involvement of religious figures. In conservative Muslim societies known for their strict sense of propriety, mutaa offers an escape clause. The contract is very simple. The woman says: "I marry myself to you for a specific period of time and for a specified dowry" and the man says: "I accept." The period can range between one hour and a year, and is subject to renewal. A Muslim woman can only marry a Muslim man, but a Muslim man can temporarily marry a Muslim, Christian, or Jewish woman, as long as she is a divorcée or a widow. However, those interviewed for this article confirmed that Hezbollah-the "Party of God"-has allowed the practice to spread to virgins or girls who have never married before, as long as the permission of her guardian (father or paternal grandfather) is obtained.'

    December 3, 2009