permanent marriage, and will continue to arise as long as human nature is what it is, but the remedy for this is divorce and not temporary marriage. The moment the idea of temporariness is introduced into marriage, it loses its whole sanctity, and all responsibilities which are consequent on it are thrown off. According to the Holy Qur’ān, the union of the two sexes is only lawful because of the acceptance of the responsibilities consequent thereupon, and the idea of a temporary marriage is not in accordance with it. A union of the sexes with the acceptance of the consequent responsibilities is called iḥṣān (marriage), and without such acceptance it is called safāḥ12 (fornication), and the Holy Qur’ān allows the first while it forbids the second (4:24).

There is some confusion in Ḥadīth about the mut‘ah. Bukhārī has the following as the heading of the chapter on Mut‘ah: “The prohibition by the Holy Prophet of mut‘ah finally.” Under this heading he cites first a ḥadīth which says that ‘Ali (the reporter) said to Ibn ‘Abbās that the Holy Prophet prohibited mut‘ah and the eating of the flesh of domestic asses at the time of the Khaibar (expedition) (Bu. 67:32). It is then related that Ibn ‘Abbās being asked if the permission to practice mut‘ah related to the time of distress and when the number of women was very small, replied in the affirmative (ibid.) The third ḥadīth is that of Salmah ibn Akwa’ who says that they were in an expedition when a messenger of the Holy Prophet came and said that they were permitted to contract temporary marriages, at the end of which Bukhārī adds “and ‘Alī has made it clear, reporting from the Holy Prophet, that this was abrogated” (ibid.). Abū Dāwūd has two ḥadīth from Sabrah, the first stating that the Holy Prophet prohibited mut‘ah in the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage (10 A.H.), and the second simply that he prohibited mut‘ah (AD. 12:13). There is no mention of mut‘ah having ever been allowed. Muslim has several contradictory ḥadīth. But even there it is admitted that though mut‘ah was permitted on certain occasions, it was finally prohibited (M.16:3).

A consideration of the various ḥadīth shows that the orders against mut‘ah were issued on several occasions: first on the occasion of the Khaibar expedition, according to ‘Alī; secondly on the occasion of the ‘umrah known as al-Qadzā; thirdly at the conquest of Makkah; fourthly