DUBAI (AlArabiya.net)
Egypt's government body that oversees religious affairs has declared that mesyar marriage – a type of convenience marriage practiced in many Islamic countries – is legitimate, and can only be overruled by a country's head of state.
Mesyar - literally "traveler" - is a type of Sunni casual marriage, whose procedures are the same as permanent marriage, except the couple does not live in the same house, and the husband is not required to financially support the wife or any resulting children.
Egypt's Dar al-Iftaa – the fatwa department at the justice ministry – ruled that mesyar marriage is legitimate as long as it meets the conditions stipulated under Islamic law, Egyptian daily Al-Ahram reported on Saturday.
According to the study, if the woman chooses to give up some of her rights – such as financial support or overnight stays -- this does not annul the marriage.
The religious body said the head of state is the only one who can prohibit this type of marriage if it is deemed to turn people away from regular marriages.
Mesyar is sometimes called "traveler's marriage," since it can be used when men are traveling or away from their wives, and want to fulfill their physical needs in a religiously sanctioned way.
It is also used by men who cannot afford to marry in the traditional way, which carries financial obligations towards the wife and children.
Unlike mutaa (pleasure) marriage, mostly a Shiite practice, the mesyar contract is open-ended.
Urfi is another type of marriage that has been stirring controversy for years in Egypt. It is an undocumented marriage that is very common among young people.
In most cases, it is done in secret and thus defies one of the basic elements of marriage in Islam: declaration. Many consider it a pretext for sex without feeling guilty, while others think it is a legitimate marriage in the eyes of God. |
