Women and the Qur’an

“Alternative Marriages in Islam: A Comparison of Mut’ah and Misyar Practices” (2012)

Abstract: Marriage is of the most ancient of human social institutions. However the concept 

of “marriage” must be culturally defined. Marriage is intertwined with cultural values of faith, 

ethics and morality. In terms of legitimacy, the majority of Muslim scholars agree that marriage 

is the key to stability, chastity, and long-term bliss. Muslims in particular hold marriage to be 

an integral part of their religious devotion. The social structure of many Islamic communities 

is construed on the basis of sex-segregation, and in societies where strict rules and mores of 

gender avoidance are enforced, marriage is viewed as a basic remedy for sexual appetite. Islamic 

ideology on marriage and sexuality is celebrated as being positive, self-affirming and cognizant 

of human needs; celibacy is considered evil and unnatural. At the same time, libidinal energy, if 

not controlled and regulated, is viewed as disruptive and disturbing the social order. The Qur'an

asserts that marriage is the only legitimate way to satisfy one's sexual desire. Islam recognizes

the value of sex and companionship and advocates marriage as the foundation for families. 

However as times change, traditional marriage is being discarded as too rigid of an institution

and alternative forms of marriage are gaining popularity. Alternative marriage, of which forms 

I will examine mut’ah and misyar, provides an interesting social solution. These alternative 

marriages are convergent points between the sexes, marriage, sexuality, morality, religious rules, 

secular laws, and cultural practices. Through the following discussion of mut’ah and misyar 

marriages, I wish to describe the diversity of the institution which reflects the entire spectrum of 

male-female relationships, how the variations are adapted to fit within Shari’a and fiqh, and how 

the two forms of alternative marriage can be compared to each other. I hope to show that despite 

the apparent paradox, the ideologies of segregation of the sexes and sexual enjoyment through 

alternative marriage are necessarily not contradictory. Rather, when practiced correctly, they are 

complementary aspects of the same ideology that celebrates sexuality but permits it only within 

certain religiously approved boundaries.