Misyar (Traveler's Temporary/Easy Marriage): Difference between revisions

Misyār مسيار properly zawāj al-misyār زواج المسيار is a type of Islamic [[sharia]] marriage, whose name originates in colloquial Gulf Arabic. The practice is often compared to the practice of [[mut'ah]], found in the hadith and in contemporary practice amongst the Shi'ah, although Sunnis do not see the two as analogues. The misyār marriage differs from a regular, traditional Shari'ah marriage in that the woman relinquishes any claim to some of her traditional rights in the marriage, namely [[nafaqah]] or financial spousal support, [[sakan]] or housing, and the right to spend the night with her husband. The burdens on the man are thus reduced, leaving him with only the burden of providing a [[mahr]], two adult, male witnesses, a (verbal or written) marriage contract, and the permission of the woman's father/[[wali]] (though in the Hanafi school of jurisprudence this is not required). The marriage can thus be entered into quickly, and is ideal for people looking for sexual gratification while traveling (thus the name) or those who otherwise could not meet all of the traditional requirements of a shari'ah marriage, or for people could not find or provide for all of the traditional elements of an Islamic marriage, such as very young men, poor men, widows, and spinsters. The practice is very controversial in the Muslim world, attracting criticism from both social conservatives who allege it promotes sexual promiscuity and lack of male investment in the family, and feminists who say it hurts women by taking away their rights and promotes lack of male investment in the family. Never the less, although some Muslim jurists have ruled against it for its undesirable social outcomes, most jurists, even those opposed to it, agree that it is a form of marriage which meets all of the traditional requirmements of a marriage in [[fiqh]].<ref name="http_زواج">{{Cite web |title=زواج المسيار ، تعريفه ، وحكمه - الإسلام سؤال وجواب |trans-title= |author= |work=https: |date= |access-date=29 October 2023 |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231029124115/https:/islamqa.info/ar/answers/82390/%D8%B2%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AC-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%81%D9%87-%D9%88%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%85%D9%87|language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web

| title = Misyar Marriage Contract: Understanding Its Validity and Use - Halal Marriage Contract

}}</ref> Although the term "misyār" is a neo-logism in modern neo-Arabic, Sahih al Bukhari does say:

   

Regarding the explanation of the following verse:-- "If a wife fears Cruelty or desertion On her husband's part." (4.128) A man may dislike his wife and intend to divorce her, so she says to him, "I give up my rights, so do not divorce me." The above verse was revealed concerning such a case.}}

==Differences from traditional Islamic Marriage==

Even though the man is not obligated to take care of the woman in the same way as in a normal Islamic marriage, he still bears the responsibility for child support for all children that result from the marriage. If he chooses divorce, tho, the wife is (as in regular Islamic marriages) entitled to nothing from the man but the mahr.<ref name="z047">{{cite web | title=Temporary Marriage in Islam: Exploitative or Liberating? | website=Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies | date=2012-03-11 | url=https://dayan.org/content/tel-aviv-notes-temporary-marriage-islam-exploitative-or-liberating | access-date=2025-09-02}}</ref>

==Controversies==