Part-Time Marriage: Controversy and Undermining of Values

What is part-time marriage? This new phenomenon has spread in Egyptian society and sparked significant debate on social media.

Many people disagree about its validity and whether it is halal or an invalid contract. In this article, we will explain what this type of marriage is and the official opinion of Dar al-Ifta regarding its legitimacy.

What is Part-Time Marriage?

Part-time marriage is a marriage between two parties for a specified period of time. It is not mut‘ah marriage or misyar marriage, and it has provoked widespread debate among Egyptians, with both supporters and opponents.

The meaning of part-time marriage is "partial marriage"—a new type of marriage that contradicts what is permitted by divine laws due to differences in conditions and the specification of a marriage duration.

Conditions of Part-Time Marriage (Partial Marriage):

There are conditions for part-time marriage that distinguish it from a valid Islamic marriage, the most notable being:

• A marriage contract is concluded between the two parties, and the husband spends only a small amount of time with his wife, which is a condition of a normal marriage.
• In this type of marriage, the husband visits his wife only one day a week without staying overnight, which differs from the conditions of a regular marriage.
• The wife willingly gives up her right to have the husband stay overnight in part-time marriage.
• The spouses agree on how each will visit the home, especially if it is a second marriage for either party.

Part-time marriage is similar to regular marriage in many conditions, but continuity is the main difference, as divorce may occur after a specific period set by either spouse.

• Part-time marriage is very similar to mut‘ah marriage.

Unacceptable Reasons for Part-Time Marriage (Partial Marriage):

When discussing the reasons for partial or part-time marriage, we find that they have been widely rejected by society and have sparked much controversy, as they have not convinced many people.

The most prominent of these unacceptable reasons include:

• One reason for promoting this unusual form of marriage is the financial situation of young people, as many are unable to afford the costs and requirements of marriage.

These difficult requirements include: the wedding party, which has become very expensive, buying and furnishing an apartment, the honeymoon, and so on.

• The nature of the husband's work, which may require travel and make it impossible to live with his wife in the same home.
• When the marriage is a second marriage and the man cannot buy a home for the second wife or have her live with the first wife in the same house.

The Position of Egypt's Dar al-Ifta on Part-Time Marriage:

Dar al-Ifta has warned against giving marriage contracts new names and changing their conditions.

It explained that the purpose of this is self-promotion and seeking fame, as well as undermining values and causing confusion in society.

It also negatively affects the stability and cohesion of families, which Islam strongly recommends preserving.

Dar al-Ifta confirmed that the contract of part-time marriage is invalid because one of its conditions is specifying a set period for the marriage.

This contradicts the conditions of a valid Islamic marriage, the most important of which is continuity and permanence to maintain family unity.

The Originator of the Partial Marriage Idea:

The person who promoted this marriage is a lawyer specializing in family affairs, who denied that partial marriage is an ‘urfi marriage or zina (fornication).

He explained that the main motivation for launching this initiative is to give divorced women a second chance to marry financially stable men and to reduce divorce rates.

In conclusion, after learning what part-time marriage is, we can say that it has caused widespread public controversy and strong opposition because it contradicts the conditions of marriage set by Islam.