Marriage in the News: Temporary Marriages

There’s a brouhaha brewing overseas as many Western periodicals and newspapers detail that one of Iran’s hard-line ministers is encouraging temporary marriages. Why? Because he believes temporary marriage is one way to avoid the sin of extramarital sex. What is a Temporary Marriage? In Shiite Muslim tradition, a temporary marriage (sigheh) allows a man and a woman to be ‘married’ for any length of time based on a contract they sign. It can be as short as a few hours and as long as a few months or years. Money is exchanged, often in the form of a dowry. It’s … Continue reading