Mut‘ah in Islam: Was Temporary Marriage Later Forbidden?
Some critics try to weaponize the early reports concerning temporary marriage while ignoring the historical context, the gradual nature of legislation, and the final ruling established by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The issue is not that Islam left people to their desires, but that it redirected them away from self-mutilation, adultery, and chaos toward lawful discipline until the final prohibition came.
The Hadith About Military Campaigns and Temporary Marriage
“O you who have believed, do not prohibit the good things which God has made lawful to you and do not transgress. Indeed, God does not like transgressors.”
This report shows that the Companions were not seeking fornication or immorality. Rather, they feared falling into sin so much that they considered harming themselves through castration. The Prophet ﷺ forbade that path and guided them according to what was permitted at that stage.
First Response: Castration Is Forbidden
It was reported from Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani regarding castration:
It is a prohibition without disagreement among the children of Adam, for what was mentioned above. It also includes the evils of torturing the soul and disfiguring it, along with causing harm that may lead to death. It negates the meaning of manhood, changes Allah’s creation, and is an ingratitude for blessings, because creating a person as a man is one of the great blessings. If he removes that, he has imitated a woman and chosen imperfection over perfection.
Al-Qurtubi said:
Castration is forbidden in animals other than the sons of Adam, except for a benefit that results from that, such as making the meat tender or removing harm from it.
Al-Nawawi said:
It is absolutely forbidden to castrate a non-edible animal. As for an edible animal, it is permissible for a young animal, but not for an adult.
I do not think that this refutes what Al-Qurtubi mentioned about the permissibility of this in an adult animal when removing harm.
The point is clear: castration of human beings is forbidden, because it mutilates the body, changes Allah’s creation, destroys manhood, and may lead to death.
Second Response: The Permission Came Before the Final Ruling
There is no doubt that castration is something that sound nature rejects and that it leads to the ruin of the human race. Since these people were new to Islam, the Prophet ﷺ permitted them to marry for a specific period of time until the end, when Islam was firmly established in their souls.
Then the Prophet ﷺ forbade his Companions from temporary marriage.
“Whoever has any of these women whom he enjoys, let him release her.”
This shows that the permission was not open-ended. It belonged to a specific stage before the final legislation was completed.
Temporary marriage, or mut‘ah, refers to a marriage contracted for a fixed period. It was permitted at an earlier stage, then later prohibited by the final ruling of the Prophet ﷺ.
Third Response: The Final Legislation Came From Allah
The following hadith confirms that the permission for this matter was from Muhammad ibn Abdullah ﷺ in his capacity as a ruler and military commander in a matter that had not yet been finally legislated, until the legislation came from Allah.
“I had permitted you to enjoy women, but Allah has forbidden that until the Day of Resurrection. So whoever has any of them, let him release her, and do not take back anything of what you have given them.”
This makes the matter decisive. The temporary permission was later abrogated, and the final ruling is prohibition until the Day of Resurrection.
The Report of Sabra ibn Ma‘bad Al-Juhani
Narrator: Sabra bin Ma’bad Al-Juhani
Narrator of Hadith: Al-Albani
Source: Sahih Al-Nasa’i
Page or number: 3368
Summary of the narrator’s ruling: Authentic
This indicates that this was before the gradual divine legislation came. When the final ruling came, the Muslims stopped this marriage, except for those who wronged themselves, and their reckoning is with Allah.
Fourth Response: The Companions Were Avoiding Adultery, Not Seeking It
What the forger presented of his doubts actually indicates the extent of the Companions’ keenness not to commit the crime of adultery, even if avoiding it meant harming themselves.
This is not like what the Holy Book attributes to the prophets, such as David committing adultery with his neighbor’s wife — God forbid — or Lot committing incest with his two daughters — God forbid.
The Bible attributes to David the crime involving his neighbor’s wife — God forbid.
The Bible attributes to Lot incest with his two daughters — God forbid.
So the critic’s objection collapses. In Islam, the Companions feared adultery so intensely that they asked about castration, and the Prophet ﷺ forbade them from mutilating themselves. Then, when the final legislation came, temporary marriage was forbidden until the Day of Resurrection.
The report does not prove immorality. It proves the opposite: the Companions were desperate to avoid adultery, the Prophet ﷺ forbade self-mutilation, temporary marriage was permitted only at an earlier stage, and the final ruling prohibited it until the Day of Resurrection. The Christian polemicist who tries to attack Islam here is standing on a scripture that attributes adultery and incest to prophets, so his objection is not merely weak; it is self-destructive.
The Truth About Mut’ah (Temporary Marriage): Permanently Forbidden in Quran & Sunnah — Full Evidence