Law Of Desire Analysis

Despite their superficial, similarities prostitution and temporary marriage vary greatly in their core beliefs, a fact Shahla Haeri conveys quite well in her book Law of Desire: Temporary Marriage in Shi’i Iran. Haeri analyzes mut’a, or temporary marriage, in an attempt to understand and clear up any misconceptions surrounding this highly tabooed issue. Through her analysis, she reveals some interesting aspects of Iranian society, the country where mut’a marriage is most heavily practiced. She sheds light on male-female relationships and interactions in Iran, as well as the Shi’a-Sunni religious divisions. The introduction consists of a brief historical background. Both Sunnis and Shi’ites, the two main Islamic sects, agree that mut’a existed at the time of the Prophet, but Sunnis believe that the second Muslim caliph, ‘Umar, banned mut’a after the Prophet passed. Shi’ites, however, do not share this same belief. The ban placed by ‘Umar still holds true today for Sunnis and is the reason mut’a marriage is only practiced by the followers of the Shi’i sect. Why mut’a marriage began when it did is not explained, although some inferences can be made through examination of the research that is presented. Haeri’s main objective in writing Law of Desire is to bring some factual awareness to the law of temporary marriage, a law that has been plagued with ambiguities. To explain the ambiguities, Haeri splits the book into three laws. Law one, law as imposed, discusses mut’a and how it exists in Iranian society. Law two, law as local knowledge, examines different versions and ways to perform temporary marriage. The final law, law as perceived, presents the life stories of some Iranian men and women who have been involved in mut’a. This in-depth analysis of mut’a should help with better understanding marriage contracts, marriage in general, and gender relations in Iranian societies. It is best to start off with the basics and then slowly transition into the more complicated aspects of this book. First and foremost, mut’a marriage involves a contract, ‘aqd, in which a man and woman decide for how long they intend to be married. Upon reaching the end of the specified time, the couple must separate. There is no time limit on a mut’a marriage meaning it can last for however long or short the individuals wish. In Islam, any form of sexual relations outside of marriage is forbidden. Mut’a keeps people from ‘sinning’ by fulfilling their sexual temptations. Though you should keep in mind that this is not the only reason mut’a occurs. Temporary marriage differs from nikah, or permanent marriage, where procreation is the ultimate goal, not sexual enjoyment. If a child is conceived during mut’a, they are still considered legitimate since the marriage itself has already been legitimized. In regards to the number of mut’a marriages a person can engage in, it depends. In Islam, a man can permanently marry up to four women at any given time and can temporarily marry as many as …show more content…
The nikah, permanent marriage is a contract of ownership. Nikah has three components that legitimize it, the ‘aqd, the mahal, which says that Muslim women can only marry Muslim men, and the mahr, or brideprice. Temporary marriage also has guidelines. Like nikah there is a contract, called sigheh in this type of marriage, mahal, ajal, time limit, and ajr, consideration or payment. These strict guidelines for mut’a are put in place so that people do not go around abusing the privilege. Mut’a should not be taken …show more content…
While this is one of the main factors propelling people to do it, it is definitely not the only one. There are both sexual sigheh contracts and nonsexual ones. Sexual sigheh is done for the obvious purpose of sexual satisfaction. These occur most frequently when one is traveling long distances or on a pilgrimage; when a man is away from his wife for extended period of time. A nonsexual sigheh is performed mainly for convenience, allowing people to travel together, share a room, and share expenses in a lawful and acceptable manner. People in this Iranian society and especially at the time of the Prophet, when mut’a was created, led lifestyles that require this kind of arrangement. It was a necessary implementation put in place to benefit both the man and woman, not to hurt