Mutah for financially desperate women who dislike marrying

[Guest Youth]

Is it permissible for a woman who meets the criteria of undergoing the process of doing Mutah, even though she is doing it for desperate short term financial needs. She expresses to the sheikh that her doing this, is only for financial desperation and that she absolute despises the idea of doing Mutah or getting married as she thinks she is selling her body. She also tells the sheikh that she is deeply uncomfortable but has no other choice. Would it be permissible for the sheikh to sign off on such a marriage and deem it acceptable and actively find a suitable "rich person" who wants to do such a thing for purely short term pleasure in exchange for money? Would the Mutah, IN THIS CASE, be permissible for the woman and the man? 

[Hameedeh]

16 hours ago, Guest Youth said:

Is it permissible for a woman who meets the criteria of undergoing the process of doing Mutah, even though she is doing it for desperate short term financial needs.

Salam. A woman who is a widow or is divorced (not a virgin girl) is old enough to get married (either temporary or permanent) without the permission of her Father or Grandfather or Sheikh.

16 hours ago, Guest Youth said:

she absolute despises the idea of doing Mutah or getting married as she thinks she is selling her body. 

If she does not want to get married again (mutah or nikah) she does not need to ask a Sheikh to find a "rich person" to marry her. She can find an NGO wherever she is living and apply for financial help. Some organizations have job training and educational centers to learn a skill and find a job. If she needs a place to live, they might help her with that, too.  

[Guest guest]

16 hours ago, Guest Youth said:

Is it permissible for a woman who meets the criteria of undergoing the process of doing Mutah, even though she is doing it for desperate short term financial needs. She expresses to the sheikh that her doing this, is only for financial desperation and that she absolute despises the idea of doing Mutah or getting married as she thinks she is selling her body. She also tells the sheikh that she is deeply uncomfortable but has no other choice. Would it be permissible for the sheikh to sign off on such a marriage and deem it acceptable and actively find a suitable "rich person" who wants to do such a thing for purely short term pleasure in exchange for money? Would the Mutah, IN THIS CASE, be permissible for the woman and the man? 

Are you a woman who doesn't want to do mutah? Or are you a rich man?

[Guest Youth]

 

7 hours ago, Guest guest said:

Are you a woman who doesn't want to do mutah? Or are you a rich man?

I am neither. There was a documentary that dropped in Sweden where they showed majority of the sheikhs of Shia mosques around the country abusing the mut’ah permissibility to the highest degree. A woman reporter called in to sheikhs and said(essentially lying to see what they say) that she was in desperate need in of financial help; hate the idea of selling her body for money but she feels forced; telling them that she is psychologically/mentally unwell and depressed. She told him that there was no way she can earn the money normally and the country did not want to help her financially. In all of Sweden, only 4 establishment under the responsibility of imam Ali center Sweden, told her mut’ah in her case is not permissible(a few dozens exists)). The other establishments either told her that they will try to find someone who is willing to pay appproximately $3000 for a couple of days or some sheikhs even asked her to do it with them instead. 
 

I don’t believe the documentary acted in total bad faith, because even the leader of imam Ali center Sweden was extremely disgusted by the sheikhs behavior. So my question was referring more into the idea, whether or not financially vulnerable women and mentally/psychologically damaged woman are permitted to do mut’ah and if men are permitted to do mut’ah with her IF she has let the man and the sheikh aware of her situation. What is the responsibility of the sheikh if the problem has been introduced to him?

[Abu Hadi]

On 5/11/2022 at 5:49 AM, Guest Youth said:

Is it permissible for a woman who meets the criteria of undergoing the process of doing Mutah, even though she is doing it for desperate short term financial needs. She expresses to the sheikh that her doing this, is only for financial desperation and that she absolute despises the idea of doing Mutah or getting married as she thinks she is selling her body. She also tells the sheikh that she is deeply uncomfortable but has no other choice. Would it be permissible for the sheikh to sign off on such a marriage and deem it acceptable and actively find a suitable "rich person" who wants to do such a thing for purely short term pleasure in exchange for money? Would the Mutah, IN THIS CASE, be permissible for the woman and the man? 

In order to answer the question, you need to first understand what the concept of marriage is, in Islam. In Islam, marriage (whether permanent or temporary) is essentially a contract between a man and a women and the terms of this contract are sanctified by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى). The word 'sanctified' in this context means that the terms of this contract are within the terms that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) allows, and since marriage is highly encouraged in general, once the terms are agreed to and the marriage is entered into voluntarily by the man and the women, then the relationship is considered sacred and holy. This relationship will then be the springboard or foundation on which the Islamic nation is built. 

Mutah, sometimes called temporary marriage is allowed and the terms of Mutah are accepted by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى). So provided that the terms are followed and not violated, this marriage is also considered sacred and holy. The actual reason she is doing the Mutah is not the most important thing. People enter into this relationship for many different reasons. If she states what her requested amount for mahr is, and the man agrees, then she is entitled to that, and the money is halal for her. He is obligated to pay it. At the same time, if her intention when entering the relationship is purely financial, then she should be upfront about this with him, so that he is aware of this and agrees to it. She shouldn't pretend with him that she is doing it with the hopes that there is some other long term goal in her mind, like permanent marriage, and this is by far the most common reason that women, especially young women, enter into a Mutah contract. He might also have this in his mind that there is some long term potential and he might want that. So she should be honest and upfront about her intentions. 

There are many, many women, muslim and non muslim who get into various types of relationships with men for purely financial reasons. The only difference between and mumina and these women is that a mumina would not get into this relationship without being upfront with the man about her intention. Many women, and many men also get into relationships and are dishonest about their intentions. Islam highly encourages honesty and transparency, especially when it comes to a potential spouse. Be as honest and straightforward as possible, and this will ensure that the relationship is fruitful, and no harm comes to the spouses because of it. 

Just because someone gets into a marriage, like Mutah, for finanical reasons doesn't mean that the marriage is not valid or that somehow it is not a real marriage. Many men initially get married for basically one reason, i.e. so that they can have regular sexual intercourse, in a 100% halal way. Sorry if that sounds crude but that is the truth. Once they have been married for a while, and the marriage progresses, and a spritual bond between the spouses is formed, then love develops and it progresses into what we think of as a 'real' marriage, even though it didn't start out that way. So a women entering into a Mutah or permenant marriage for purely financial reasons, or to avoid a bad situation at home, i.e. to escape from her parents home, etc, are not invalid reasons to get married. A marriage that is 'sanctified' by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) has the potential to develop into a marriage that is filled with love and affection, and the basis for a family and thus society, not matter what was the original intention of the spouses to enter into this relationship. That is because Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) does what He(s.w.a) wills and Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is powerful over all things. Salam. 

Edited May 12, 2022 by Abu Hadi

[Guest Youth]

10 minutes ago, Abu Hadi said:

In order to answer the question, you need to first understand what the concept of marriage is, in Islam. In Islam, marriage (whether permanent or temporary) is essentially a contract between a man and a women and the terms of this contract are sanctified by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى). The word 'sanctified' in this context means that the terms of this contract are within the terms that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) allows, and since marriage is highly encouraged in general, once the terms are agreed to and the marriage is entered into voluntarily by the man and the women, then the relationship is considered sacred and holy. This relationship will then be the springboard or foundation on which the Islamic nation is built. 

Mutah, sometimes called temporary marriage is allowed and the terms of Mutah are accepted by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى). So provided that the terms are followed and not violated, this marriage is also considered sacred and holy. The actual reason she is doing the Mutah is not the most important thing. People enter into this relationship for many different reasons. If she states what her requested amount for mahr is, and the man agrees, then she is entitled to that, and the money is halal for her. He is obligated to pay it. At the same time, if her intention when entering the relationship is purely financial, then she should be upfront about this with him, so that he is aware of this and agrees to it. She shouldn't pretend with him that she is doing it with the hopes that there is some other long term goal in her mind, like permanent marriage, and this is by far the most common reason that women, especially young women, enter into a Mutah contract. He might also have this in his mind that there is some long term potential and he might want that. So she should be honest and upfront about her intentions. 

There are many, many women, muslim and non muslim who get into various types of relationships with men for purely financial reasons. The only difference between and mumina and these women is that a mumina would not get into this relationship without being upfront with the man about her intention. Many women, and many men also get into relationships and are dishonest about their intentions. This is something that is not allowed in Islam. 

Just because someone gets into a marriage, like Mutah, for finanical reasons doesn't mean that the marriage is not valid or that somehow it is not a real marriage. Many men initially get married for basically one reason, i.e. so that they can have regular sexual intercourse, in a 100% halal way. Sorry if that sounds crude but that is the truth. Once they have been married for a while, and the marriage progresses, and a spritual bond between the spouses is formed, then love develops and it progresses into what we think of as a 'real' marriage, even though it didn't start out that way. So a women entering into a Mutah or permenant marriage for purely financial reasons, or to avoid a bad situation at home, i.e. to escape from her parents home, etc, are not invalid reasons to get married. A marriage that is 'sanctified' by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) has the potential to develop into a marriage that is filled with love and affection, and the basis for a family and thus society, not matter what was the original intention of the spouses to enter into this relationship. That is because Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) does what He(s.w.a) wills and Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is powerful over all things. Salam. 

Even if she exclaims that she is mentally and psychologically vulnerable and depressed?

[Abu Hadi]

What do you mean by 'psychologically vulnerable' ? 

[Guest Youth]

4 hours ago, Abu Hadi said:

What do you mean by 'psychologically vulnerable' ? 

Poor mental health and devaluing themselves expressively by saying they are not worth anything in response to feelings of major depression and anxiety perhaps followed by feelings of suicide.

[Abu Hadi]

If they are in that fragile of a mental state, then maybe this lady should attempt to get some spiritual and / or psychological help and this should take priority over getting married. 

[EiE]

I haven't seen the documentary the OP mentions, but there has been some discussion about it on several international social media platforms.
What the OP appears to be asking is how these religious figures sugarcoat their religious laws in order to exploit women in vulnerable positions.

[Abu Hadi]

I've never heard of this documentary. Can you post a link to it ? 

[notme]

An adult woman can marry whomever she chooses for any reason, but if she doesn't want to get married, why would she? 

[Guest Youth]

31 minutes ago, Abu Hadi said:

I've never heard of this documentary. Can you post a link to it ? 

That’s exactly what I’m asking EiE. Is that not exploitation and classified as haram for the sheikh/sheikhs? 
 

here is the link. It is in Sweden but they do speak Arabic in all of the calls they make with the imam Ali center establishments

 

https://www.svtplay.se/video/35248745/uppdrag-granskning/uppdrag-granskning-sasong-23-sexkop-i-allahs-namn?id=jpAd7B5

[Guest Name]

39 minutes ago, EiE said:

I haven't seen the documentary the OP mentions, but there has been some discussion about it on several international social media platforms.
What the OP appears to be asking is how these religious figures sugarcoat their religious laws in order to exploit women in vulnerable positions.

How is it exploiting if she specifically asked for that very thing? I'm sure if she asked for general financial help they would give her several options they know of, including mutah but probably other things as well such as charities. 

[Guest Swedish Muslim]

The documentary the OP is referring to is made by a swedish show called "Uppdrag granskning" which usually goes undercover to find news that are important to the swedish general public/society. The show is published by the governmental "news" agency SVT.

The documentary was an attempt at copy pasting what BBC did earlier in Iraq.

There was several factual incorrect points and descriptions made by the documentary writers regarding mutah, seemingly for the sake of causing headlines in swedish news, so called "sensational journalism" which is more or less the norm at this point.
It seems to have been a targeted and planned attack against muslims in sweden, one of several, with news coming just yesterday of the police giving further approval for the danish guy who burns up copies of the holy Quran as a "manifestation". Unfortunately swedish politicians and media have been targeting muslims and Islam more and more in the last 10 years.

For swedish speaking visitors I recommend watching this response video to the documentary, one of a series of responses that will inshaAllah be posted:
 

 

[Guest Youth]

21 minutes ago, notme said:

An adult woman can marry whomever she chooses for any reason, but if she doesn't want to get married, why would she? 

Quite simply because she feels depressed, devalued as a human being for whatever reason and is in desperate need of money. 

[notme]

31 minutes ago, Guest Youth said:

Quite simply because she feels depressed, devalued as a human being for whatever reason and is in desperate need of money. 

Maybe she should just ask for money.  

However, she is an adult capable of making her own decisions and people do marry for a variety of reasons.  Who are we to judge? 

[outtamymind789]

Amazing discussion!  I think that a divorced woman most likely knows what she is getting into for a marriage.  Any type of marriage.  If she is in a desperate situation and chooses to marry someone, what is the problem.  This happens all the time in all sorts of religions.  A woman finds out she is pregnant (desperate) and marries the father (who she may not know that well) so that she has a chance at security.  I personally believe security is one of the main reasons women marry.  Even if she is madly in love with a man, most women will want some sort of security.  Of course if she is young and in love, that might not be a priority.  Recall, you don't see women picking up homeless guys off the street to marry.  There is no security there.  

The big issue I see is that of deception.  If she is honest and open to everyone why she is getting married and all parties are fine with the reason, then I see no problem at all.  If she is getting married for a "green card" or "visa" but tells the man this and parades around saying she wants to be with him forever, then this is deception.  

I think the woman described by the OP is really interested in marriage using deception.

[AbdusSibtayn]

To add to this, gross abuse of laws cannot be made into an argument into an argument against the law itself. And even if it's agreed upon for argument's sake that certain sections of the clergy are engaging in malpractices, it can't be made into an argument against the religion. There are countless politicians/bureaucrats/police personnel who manipulate laws to their benefit. What shall we do? Overhaul the whole legal system? Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to confront or belittle the OP, but to merely drive home a point. My words may be amiss, but my intentions aren't. 

When BBC aired that anti-mutah (and insinuatingly, anti-Shia) documentary, Sayyid Sistani (ha), sensing the gravity of the situation, personally issued a response to the increasing queries from the worried mu'mineen the world over, that the abuse of religious laws is not acceptable in any situation, and if the individuals concerned were found abusing the law to manipulate people, then they are to be dealt with as per the penal system of the country concerned. If abuse of laws is proved to be the intention in this case too, I don't see why these sheikhs should be dealt with any differently. 

We are taught that the demarcator of an act's lawfulness or otherwise is the intention behind it (qasd) : just like looking at a non-mahram without hijab with the intention of deriving voyeuristic pleasure is categorically forbidden, but for the purpose of marriage, it would be something that is allowed. If the end is haram, the means also become ipso facto haram. 

Wassalam. 

[Abu Hadi]

1 hour ago, Guest Youth said:

That’s exactly what I’m asking EiE. Is that not exploitation and classified as haram for the sheikh/sheikhs? 
 

here is the link. It is in Sweden but they do speak Arabic in all of the calls they make with the imam Ali center establishments

 

https://www.svtplay.se/video/35248745/uppdrag-granskning/uppdrag-granskning-sasong-23-sexkop-i-allahs-namn?id=jpAd7B5

I clicked the link. It's a swedish documentary. I don't speak Swedish. Is there an English version ? 

[Abu Hadi]

So I figured out how to switch the subtitles to English. The problem is, that I don't know if these are an accurate translation of what the people are saying. It is auto translated by machine, which is usually very inaccurate. If there is an English / Spanish / or Arabic version I will watch those. I can follow in those three languages. Swedish is completely foreign to me. 

 

BTW, I watched a little bit of it, and if the translation is correct, it seems like a typical 'hit piece' that non muslims make about Islam when they don't have a good understanding of the religion. Specifically, about the incident of 'Maryam' and 'The Sheik', if this even happened, it is not what the religion teaches, and pretty much any muslim, much less a 'Sheik' would know that. If a women comes to the masjid and asks for financial help you either A) give her financial help (i.e. money from khums and zakat, that's what it's for) B) Point her in the direction of someone or some entity or organization that can give her financial help. There are plenty of those in Sweden, since it's a country that's very generous with social benefits. If neither of those is an option, you make dua for her, but this scenario that they brought up, i.e. a women comes for financial help and you force her to marry a 'strange' man in order to get the help seems unlikely. It sounds more like some made up thing or a plot for a movie made by Mossad. In the entire history of Sweden, it probably has happened maybe once or twice, but seems very implausible and unlikely, based on my experience. Sweden is one of the easiest places in the world to get financial help. Why would a lady need to do that in order to get financial help ? Doesn't make sense. 

I've never been to Sweden, but unless there is some strange phenomenon happening in Sweden that isn't happening in any other Muslim community in the 'West', this scenario seems very strange and unlikely. 

Again, seems like a typical 'hit piece'. There are lots and lots of those nowadays. Not worth watching the rest. 

Edited May 12, 2022 by Abu Hadi

[Soldiers and Saffron]

14 minutes ago, Abu Hadi said:

So I figured out how to switch the subtitles to English. The problem is, that I don't know if these are an accurate translation of what the people are saying. It is auto translated by machine, which is usually very inaccurate. If there is an English / Spanish / or Arabic version I will watch those. I can follow in those three languages. Swedish is completely foreign to me. 

It is not even correctly translated from Arabic to Swedish to begin with.
The way they have done this documentary is clearly made to cause an emotional response by the viewers, the selection of how to translate terms is specified to strengthen their accusation that mutah = prostitution and that the sheikhs who condone the mutah are essentially pimps since they get paid for working. They insist on calling mutah "pleasure marriage" rather than temporary marriage since the first term awakes questions and is more sensational while the second does not and is not.

The way they explain mutah/temporary marriage is basically:

• Its exclusively used for sex.
• There is always money involved.
• A sheikh must marry the couple.

None of the above is true.
They claim that the mahr is essentially a payment and it is that very payment that makes mutah into prostitution, yet everyone who has basic knowledge of Islam knows that mahr is not necessarily money and if mahr (the wedding gift) itself is the problem then even permanent marriage will be claimed to be prostitution by that definition.

Are their people who perform immoral actions within the spam of what is sharia? Yes. But that is the same with any set of laws, there is always room for moral and immoral actions. That is not strange and it is a story as old as history.
Recently the swedish hypocrite government defended the burning of the holy Quran by saying it falls within the laws of "freedom of expression" and that even if the burning of the holy Quran is a bad and dumb idea, it needs to still be allowed. Yet in this case we see that if mutah is used immorally, then they will demand that the law of mutah to be removed completely.

Furthermore, if a sheikh gets paid to wed a couple, whether that is in temporary marriage or permanent marriage, this is completely reasonable, what the couple intends to do during the marriage or the purpose they might have behind the marriage, it is completely irrelevant.

Unfortunately for us muslims who still live in Sweden, we have seen more and more attacks towards us from all angels you can imagine: towards our children, our faith, our food, our practises, our holy Book, our culture and now our marriages. They try their best to marginalize the muslims here and never ask us but speak for us, for example they air shows where 5 white guys who none of them are muslims discuss whether or not hijab is right. Are we not allowed to take part in discussions that are about us?

The acceptance limit for what politicians are allowed to say in sweden without it being deemed wrong has completely shifted in the last 10 years and we can see that the swedish far right party have gained more and more votes with an estimate them getting about 25% of votes in the election soon. The things they publicly say today would have ended their political careers just 10 years ago.

The documentary was done by the swedish governmental tv agency and it contained MULTIPLE factual errors and yet they decided to send it, mind you they have most likely done months of research before making this documentary and to me it is obvious that they chose their words very carefully to make sure their narrative and their extremely shaded agenda is pushed forward. Imagine; it was not done by a private company but by the state itself.

In essence this is not a documentary about mutah that they claim is prostitution or even the shia muslims, this documentary is one of a series of coordinated efforts undermine and attack Islam and the muslims and this is done with elections coming soon.

As one of the guests above recommend, I also recommend brother and sisters to not only see the response video but to also share it with their non muslim friends who might have watched the documentary or other muslims on social media platforms and friend groups, it is very unfortunately that they do not let us highlight their factual errors, we do not even get a voice in their media to do this. Imagine they have the microphone and can say whatever they want, true or false, and they wont let anyone question what they say.
 

 

[Guest Psychological Warfare]

fyi

There will be no abuse, if we understand the basics.

1) Faith ( Aqeeda )

2) Islamic Ethics / Morals

3) Laws / Fiqh rulings

If something is Mubah - In uṣūl al-fiqh (principles of Islamic jurisprudence), mubah is one of the five degrees of approval (ahkam), and is commonly translated as "neutral",^[2][3] "indifferent"^[4] or "(merely) permitted".^[4][5] 

If something is Mubah usually translated as we are allowed or it is permissible. Yes. Maybe because Islam is a religion for all times and conditions or just using the clause of general permissibility. 

or if it is Halal. 

You have to refer to other two sciences or sources of Knowledge. Faith/Aqeeda and Ethics. Is it Ethical or Moral in this situation or does my Faith( Aqeeda) allows it. Does this fall in line with my purpose of life ? or purpose of Marriage as an institution? 

You can't say it is allowed so no one can stop me. Yes, true. However, there are OTHER considerations. So, why is it allowed. ? Allowed does not mean to put blinders on and just do it. 

Once people understand there will be no abuse of the law. if someone wants to , they can. Like any other law or loopholes can be utilized. This what Lawyers do. People are catching on to these lawyer tactics. 

Quote

The word jurisprudence (fiqh) in the terminology of the 'ulema

In the terminology of the Qur’an and the Sunnah, fiqh is the extensive, profound knowledge of Islamic instructions and realities and has no special relevance to any particular division. In the terminology of the 'ulema, however, it gradually came to be especially applied to the profound understanding of the Islamic laws. The 'ulema of Islam have divided the Islamic teachings into three parts:

First, the realities and beliefs: the aim of which is awareness, faith and certitude, and which are related to the heart and the mind, containing issues like the issues related to the unseen past and the unseen future, to Prophethood, revelation, angels and Imamate.

Second, morality and self-perfection: the goals of which are the spiritual qualities of how to be and how not to be, containing issues like cautiousness of God (taqwa), justice ('idalat), generosity, courage, fortitude and patience (sabr) being satisfied and content with God (riza) firmness on the true path (istiqamat) and so on.

Third, the laws and issues of actions: which is related to the special external actions that human beings must perform and how the actions they perform are to be and how they are not to be.

The jurisprudents of Islam have termed this last division, fiqh (jurisprudence), perhaps from the viewpoint that since the early days of Islam the laws were the most subject to attention and queries. Therefore, those whose specialty was in this subject came to be known as the fuqaha (jurisprudents).

 

[Abu Hadi]

3 minutes ago, Soldiers and Saffron said:

It is not even correctly translated from Arabic to Swedish to begin with.
The way they have done this documentary is clearly made to cause an emotional response by the viewers, the selection of how to translate terms is specified to strengthen their accusation that mutah = prostitution and that the sheikhs who condone the mutah are essentially pimps since they get paid for working. They insist on calling mutah "pleasure marriage" rather than temporary marriage since the first term awakes questions and is more sensational while the second does not and is not.

The way they explain mutah/temporary marriage is basically:

• Its exclusively used for sex.
• There is always money involved.
• A sheikh must marry the couple.

None of the above is true.
They claim that the mahr is essentially a payment and it is that very payment that makes mutah into prostitution, yet everyone who has basic knowledge of Islam knows that mahr is not necessarily money and if mahr (the wedding gift) itself is the problem then even permanent marriage will be claimed to be prostitution by that definition.

Are their people who perform immoral actions within the spam of what is sharia? Yes. But that is the same with any set of laws, there is always room for moral and immoral actions. That is not strange and it is a story as old as history.
Recently the swedish hypocrite government defended the burning of the holy Quran by saying it falls within the laws of "freedom of expression" and that even if the burning of the holy Quran is a bad and dumb idea, it needs to still be allowed. Yet in this case we see that if mutah is used immorally, then they will demand that the law of mutah to be removed completely.

Furthermore, if a sheikh gets paid to wed a couple, whether that is in temporary marriage or permanent marriage, this is completely reasonable, what the couple intends to do during the marriage or the purpose they might have behind the marriage, it is completely irrelevant.

Unfortunately for us muslims who still live in Sweden, we have seen more and more attacks towards us from all angels you can imagine: towards our children, our faith, our food, our practises, our holy Book, our culture and now our marriages. They try their best to marginalize the muslims here and never ask us but speak for us, for example they air shows where 5 white guys who none of them are muslims discuss whether or not hijab is right. Are we not allowed to take part in discussions that are about us?

The acceptance limit for what politicians are allowed to say in sweden without it being deemed wrong has completely shifted in the last 10 years and we can see that the swedish far right party have gained more and more votes with an estimate them getting about 25% of votes in the election soon. The things they publicly say today would have ended their political careers just 10 years ago.

The documentary was done by the swedish governmental tv agency and it contained MULTIPLE factual errors and yet they decided to send it, mind you they have most likely done months of research before making this documentary and to me it is obvious that they chose their words very carefully to make sure their narrative and their extremely shaded agenda is pushed forward. Imagine; it was not done by a private company but by the state itself.

In essence this is not a documentary about mutah that they claim is prostitution or even the shia muslims, this documentary is one of a series of coordinated efforts undermine and attack Islam and the muslims and this is done with elections coming soon.

As one of the guests above recommend, I also recommend brother and sisters to not only see the response video but to also share it with their non muslim friends who might have watched the documentary or other muslims on social media platforms and friend groups, it is very unfortunately that they do not let us highlight their factual errors, we do not even get a voice in their media to do this. Imagine they have the microphone and can say whatever they want, true or false, and they wont let anyone question what they say.
 

 

Thank you for that brother.  I agree with your analysis. Living in the US, we are so absolutely swamped by anti-muslim propaganda, and especially anti Shia and anti Iranian propaganda, many of which comes from the US government itself, that it doesn't surprise me at all, even for a second, that the Swedish government is doing the same thing. 

We, as muslims and followers of Ahl Al Bayt((عليه السلام)) need to know about our religion in detail so that we don't fall for these propaganda traps, whatever language they are in and whatever entity is repsonsible for making them. As for the non muslims, and our Sunni brothers and sisters, the truth is easy enough to find if you are looking for it. If you are not looking for it, you will never find it. As Imam Ali((عليه السلام)) says, 'There is enough light for those who wish to see'. Salam. 

[Guest Psychological Warfare]

Another issue is "The Shaykh" . Correct me, I see people with few years of study and they wear the "Turban" or are called Shaykh. I believe, even if you are a Mujtahid/ Jurist. You have the ijaza it is for yourself. Meaning that if someone is a Mujtahid/Jurist he does not need to follow anyone, if he wants to. So, the question is are we going to the scholars of mosque or just regular mujtahids/jurists for "Rulings/Fatwa"? 

If we do, there will be issues. As these people are Not properly Qualified to offer a Ruling on a situation. 

Correct me, if anything in wrong in my understanding. 

Second. If a women is divorced or widowed. Yes, we understand what the Law Allows. Usually, it is Expected to find a suitable  partner for Life. As the institution of Marriage is sacred, and is governed Not only by law, but by Faith and Ethics. Doing the or taking the best option increases Spirituality. Also, it is frowned upon to have multiple partners ( kindly, don't say it is allowed). Yes allowed, but holding back on the realities of issues are not prudent and negative for women who do not know. 

If something is allowed, however it has other negative attached to it. It mean it is a special permission. Not to be used as a standard.

[Guest Youth]

For all those wondering, if the documentary grotesquely lied about these interviews, then why would the leader of imam Ali center who is responsible for most, if not all, of Sweden’s Shia establishments fire these individuals; and freeze their assets(that they annually receive from Swedish government) and put out a press release saying they are corroborating with the police and will deal with the individuals that has essentially done wrong? And what is this die-hard indirect defending of people who misuse mut’ah and you accepting woman who do mut’ah who are mentally unstable and unwell? Just denounce these individuals who manipulate by trying to find loopholes in Islam; and move on by accepting mut’ah as permissible instead of trashing a country as anti-islamic? 
 

it is completely disrespectful to accuse the Swedish government of having a specific agenda of hate for Muslims in general, let alone Shia when they give 14 million Swedish crowns annually to imam Ali center so it can thrive and strengthen community bonds and values. 

As for the people who constantly trash Sweden for “supporting” people who burn the Quran, maybe you shouldn’t have slept during “samhällskunskap” classes. Swedish law doesn’t care what books you burn. Go out and burn any books you like; they are NOT targeting Muslims by allowing ONLY burning of Qurans. I’m sick and tired of this forced victim mentality in all aspects of life. 
 

I was just asking if islamically it is permissible for a sheikh to exploit visibly fragile, desperate, depressed women into doing mut’ah. Thank you for those who answered.
 

May Allah guides us all and show us the path of the prophet(peace and blessing upon him and his family) and his Ahl-bayt. 

Salam

[notme]

1 hour ago, Guest Youth said:

I was just asking if islamically it is permissible for a sheikh to exploit visibly fragile, desperate, depressed women into doing mut’ah. 

No.  Abusing anyone is never permitted. 

However, the woman can do as she pleases within the limits of what is allowed, for good or bad reasons.  

[EiE]

5 hours ago, Guest Name said:

How is it exploiting if she specifically asked for that very thing? I'm sure if she asked for general financial help they would give her several options they know of, including mutah but probably other things as well such as charities. 

When religious figures recognise that women are in a vulnerable position and instead of giving them money or sending them to an institution to aid them, they offer them money in exchange for sex. That is essentially exploiting their vulnerable position.

4 hours ago, notme said:

Maybe she should just ask for money.  

However, she is an adult capable of making her own decisions and people do marry for a variety of reasons.  Who are we to judge? 

If they had asked for money, would they have gotten it for free, In exchange for nothing. Let's be honest, how many would go through with it?

5 hours ago, notme said:

An adult woman can marry whomever she chooses for any reason, but if she doesn't want to get married, why would she? 

Do you think prostitutes prefer to spend their days sleeping with guys seven days a week?
They are adults as well, but they are in such a vulnerable situation that they feel compelled to sell their bodies.
You must recognise the distinction between exploiting someone in a vulnerable position and fine consent between two partners.

2 hours ago, Soldiers and Saffron said:

The way they have done this documentary is clearly made to cause an emotional response by the viewers, the selection of how to translate terms is specified to strengthen their accusation that mutah = prostitution and that the sheikhs who condone the mutah are essentially pimps since they get paid for working. They insist on calling mutah "pleasure marriage" rather than temporary marriage since the first term awakes questions and is more sensational while the second does not and is not.

The documentary was done by the swedish governmental tv agency and it contained MULTIPLE factual errors and yet they decided to send it, mind you they have most likely done months of research before making this documentary and to me it is obvious that they chose their words very carefully to make sure their narrative and their extremely shaded agenda is pushed forward. Imagine; it was not done by a private company but by the state itself.

Yes, unfortunately, this is how views are obtained.
Many of these documentaries are designed to evoke emotional responses in order to further a cause or earn recognition.

1 hour ago, Guest Youth said:

For all those wondering, if the documentary grotesquely lied about these interviews, then why would the leader of imam Ali center who is responsible for most, if not all, of Sweden’s Shia establishments fire these individuals; and freeze their assets(that they annually receive from Swedish government) and put out a press release saying they are corroborating with the police and will deal with the individuals that has essentially done wrong?

Insteresting.......

Edited May 12, 2022 by EiE

[EiE]

1 hour ago, Guest Youth said:

And what is this die-hard indirect defending of people who misuse mut’ah and you accepting woman who do mut’ah who are mentally unstable and unwell? Just denounce these individuals who manipulate by trying to find loopholes in Islam; and move on by accepting mut’ah as permissible instead of trashing a country as anti-islamic?

Unfortunately, many individuals nowadays want to sugarcoat their beliefs to make them seem ethically right, even if they are morally wrong, all in the name of religion.

[notme]

19 minutes ago, EiE said:

Do you think prostitutes prefer to spend their days sleeping with guys seven days a week?
They are adults as well, but they are in such a vulnerable situation that they feel compelled to sell their bodies.
You must recognise the distinction between exploiting someone in a vulnerable position and fine consent between two partners.

Some do by choice.  Yes, some are exploited. Let's judge each individually, not assume.  

[Guest Psychological Warfare]

 

Quote

 islamically it is permissible for a sheikh 

Not Everyone who wears an Imamah(Turban) or  call himself a Shaikh or gives lectures regular topics or leads local prayers  is a Qualified Jurist.  Especially on the internet, there are people who say they are shaykh, they answer questions.  you don't know if they are qualified Jurists. Same is true in person, you need inquire into their qualifications for Jurisprudence  issues. people just ask any one who came to their center or mosque to give lectures or leads prayers, they may have minimum qualifications to do the job at hand ( give lectures or lead prayer)and that is all. 

fyi

Quote

2. Following (taqlid) means acting according to the judgment of a jurist. It is necessary that the jurist who is followed is male, Shi’ah Ithna ‘Asha’ari,4 adult, sane, legitimate, alive and just (‘adil). A person is said to be just when he performs all those acts which are obligatory for him and refrains from all those things which are prohibited for him. And the sign of a man’s being just is that he is apparently a good man so that if enquiries are made about him from the people of his locality or from his neighbours or from those persons with whom he associates, they should confirm his goodness. And if it is known that the judgments of the jurists differ with regard to the problems which we face in everyday life, it is necessary that the jurist who is followed should be a’lam (the most learned jurist) who possesses better capacity to understand religious matters as compared with his contemporary jurists.

 

[AbdusSibtayn]

43 minutes ago, notme said:

Some do by choice.  Yes, some are exploited. Let's judge each individually, not assume. 

As Andrea Dworkin (famous Feminist author and academic who has written a lot on the 'sex work' industry) has argued, that element of 'choice' is also a figment of imagination. The women involved are almost always from marginalized class-race intersections, and even those who 'chose' the job were gaslit into it at some point or the other. The name of her book currently skips me, I'll dig up the reference some other time inshallah. 

The sex industry (porn+prostitution) is not simply a moral or legal question anymore; there are imperatives beyond these issues that have become involved. For one it is a billion dollar industry, ratcheting up good and quick money, with a deep unholy nexus between brothel- owners, capital and the political establishment. No wonder all the 'progressive' politicians and presidential candidates in the past few years, mostly Democrats, have given their full fledged support to the industry. 'Choice' is just a rhetorical veneer for convenience. The real thing is the money that is involved. 

[AbdusSibtayn]

Summing up the discussion-

1.What must not be defended- potential manipulation in religious garb; exploitation of vulnerable women in garb of religion, just because the people accused of it happen to have turbans on their heads. Law must take its course. If they are innocent, they'll be acquitted. 

2. What must be defended- The institution of mutah itself. Lies spread to vilify it must be countered by all the means at our disposal. 

Having the turban of the Prophet (S) on one's head is a very heavy responsibility. When people who speak on behalf of religion tarnish their image, they end up tarnishing the image of the religion as well. They further push away the youth from religion at a time when the gap between them and religion is increasing. Even if these fellows are legally in the clear, they deserve censure for their irresponsible conduct. You don't pounce upon a vulnerable woman who comes asking for help. They should have had the strength of character to say that they'll try to arrange charity funds for her until she can find a stable income. The worse is, that because of their actions, Islam and Muslims are in the defender's dock again. 

It's impossible to make everyone perfect, agreed, but we need serious reforms in the lower clergy. Sunnis have upped their game already, since a decade ago. The range of discussion in several Sunni centres and masajid is already much much beyond the average Shi'i's intellectual wavelength: considering the content from people like Omar Suleiman, Daniel Haqiqatjou, Abdullaah al -Andalusi, Zara Faris and Mobeen Vaid. For a madhab that claims to inherit the mantle if Ameer al-Mu'mineen (عليه السلام) and Imam as-Sadiq(عليه السلام), it's a sorry state of affairs for us. It's high time the Shi'a buckled up and learned a thing or two. 

[Guest Name]

The level of 'exploitation' would depend on how desperate the situation is. Some women arw willing to do a mutah to get some quick cash for whatever, while another might be really in dire straights, kids to feed, no family, widowed, etc and really desperate. In that case it would be a lot less ethical to tell her her only option is mutah. But otherwise I see it as telling a woman if she needs some cash, then she can clean some toilets to earn it. 

[AbdusSibtayn]

3 hours ago, Guest Psychological Warfare said:

Another issue is "The Shaykh" . Correct me, I see people with few years of study and they wear the "Turban" or are called Shaykh. I believe, even if you are a Mujtahid/ Jurist. You have the ijaza it is for yourself. Meaning that if someone is a Mujtahid/Jurist he does not need to follow anyone, if he wants to. So, the question is are we going to the scholars of mosque or just regular mujtahids/jurists for "Rulings/Fatwa"? 

If we do, there will be issues. As these people are Not properly Qualified to offer a Ruling on a situation. 

Correct me, if anything in wrong in my understanding. 

You'll be surprised to find that today there are those who are claiming marjaiyyah with as little as 5-6 years of hawzawi studies (that's basically just your muqaddimat level, and a bit of the sutuh; without attending a single dars kharij). I mean, you need twice that time even to finish school. 

I wish there was a tighter system of control to scrutinize and call out these academic imposters with extremely shady credentials. No matter the rot is so deep.