Nikah mut'ah[1][2]Arabic: نكاح المتعة, romanized: nikāḥ al-mutʿah, literally "fun sex",[3] "pleasure marriage"; temporary marriage[4]: 1045 or Sigheh[5] (Persian: صیغه ، ازدواج موقت) is a private and verbal temporary marriage contract that is practiced in Twelver Shia Islam[6] in which the duration of the marriage and the mahr must be specified and agreed upon in advance.[1][7][8]: 242 [9]: 47–53 It is a private contract made in a verbal or written format. A declaration of the intent to marry and an acceptance of the terms are required as in other forms of marriage in Islam.[10]
According to Shia Muslims, Muhammad sanctioned nikah mut'ah (fixed-term marriage, called muta'a in Iraq and sigheh in Iran), which has instead been used as a legitimizing cover for sex workers in a culture where prostitution is otherwise forbidden. Some Western writers have argued that mut'ah approximates prostitution.[11]
Some sources say the Nikah mut'ah has no prescribed minimum or maximum duration,[12] but others, such as The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, indicate the minimum duration of the marriage is debatable and durations of at least three days, three months or one year have been suggested.[1]