Rafed English
site.site_name : Rafed English

Marriage

The relation beween man and woman becomes lawful by contracting marriage. There are two kinds of marriage:

Permanent marriage

Fixed-time marriage


In a permnent marriage, the period of matrimony is not fixed, and it is forever. The woman with whom such marriage is concluded is called da'ima (i.e., permanent wife).


In a fixed time marriage (mut'a), the period of matrimony is fixed, for example, matrimonial relation is contracted with a woman for an hour, or a day, or a month, or a year, or more. However, the period fixed for the marriage should not exceed span of normal lives of spouses, because in that case, the marriage will be treated as a permennet one. This sort of fixed time marriage is called Mut'a or Seegha.

The Marriage Formula

2370. Whether marriage is permanent or temporary, the formal formula must be pronounced; mere tacit approval and consent, or written agreement, is not sufficient. And the formula of the marriage contract is pronounced either by the man and the woman themselves, or by a person who is appointed by them as their representative to recite to recite it on their behalf.

2371. The representative should not necessarily be a male. A woman can also become a representative to pronounce the marriage formula.

2372. As long as the woman and the man are not certain that their representative has prounced the formula, they cannot look at each other as Na-Mahram (like husband and wife), and a mere probable suspicion that the representative might have pronunced the formula is not sufficient. And if the representative says that he has pronounced the formula, but his assertion does not satisfy the parties concerned, it will not be deemed sufficient.

2373. If a woman appoints a person as her representative so that he may, for example, contract her marriage with a man for ten days, but does not specify the day from which the period of ten days would commence, the representative can contract her marriage with that man for ten days from any day he likes. However, if the representative knows that the woman intends particular hour or day, he should pronounce the formula according to her intention.

2374. One person can act as the representative of both sides for reciting the formula of permanent or temporary marriage. It is also permissible that a man may himself become the representative of a woman and contract permanent or temporary marriage with her. However, the recommended precaution is that two separate persons should represent each side, for the formula of marriage contract.