Mut'ah or a form of temporary marriage is a marriage contract in Islamic culture. Originally, this practice was accepted by all members of the religion and even practiced by the Prophet himself. However, after the death of the Prophet, this practice was prohibited by the Caliph 'Umar. Since then, only Shia Muslims have continued to accept mut'ah as a legitimate form of marriage. Mut'ah was used for a variety of reasons, including travel, to allow a man and woman without an intimate relationship to share a home, or even to increase a woman's comfort. There are many other reasons why a marriage mut'ah could be used, but in today's society there are two reasons that the majority of people take advantage of. Mut'ah can help two people who want to date and spend time together without breaking the laws established by Sharia law. It can also be used as a legalized form of prostitution, as the contract drawn up when establishing a mut'ah marriage creates a loophole in the laws relating to prostitution. So this begs the question: what is the purpose of mut'ah in today's society? Is this a way to modernize dating for Muslims or is it a way to cover up illegal acts within the Islamic community? The concept of mut'ah existed during the time of the Prophet and he was said to have some mut'ahs himself. ah weddings. There were two main reasons why mut'ah marriages existed. The first was in Islam, it is forbidden for a man and a woman (who are neither married nor family members) to be alone together. When mut'ah was used in this context, it was usually during long journeys. For example, if a doctor were to accompany a woman and her child on a long trip, he would draw up a mut'ah contract with the child. He would then be married to the child and...... middle of paper ......tmodernity and tradition. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 1990. “Iran Chamber Society: Iranian Society: Trafficking in Persons in Iran, Particularly Women and Children.” http://www.iranchamber.com/society/articles/trafficking_persons.php (accessed March 2, 2014). Mahmood, Shabnam and Catrin Nye. "Mut'ah (legalized prostitution through fictitious marriage) is becoming popular among young British Muslims." The Muslim Issue Worldwide, July 13, 2013, https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com Murata, Sachiko. “The four pillars of Mut'a”. Al-Islam.org. http://www.al-islam.org/muta-temporary-marriage-in-islamic-law-sachiko-murata/four-pillars-muta (accessed March 2, 2014). Pohl, Florian. Modern Muslim societies. Tarrytown, NY: Reference Marshall Cavendish, 2011. Shehadeh, Lamia Rustum. The idea of ​​women in fundamentalist Islam. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2003.