Short answer
No. Mut'ah, a marriage for a fixed period, was allowed for a short time early in Islam and then forbidden permanently by the Prophet ﷺ. All four Sunni schools hold that it is haram and void. Shia Ja'fari law permits it, which is a known difference between Sunni and Shia fiqh.
Nikah al-mut'ah, and a nikah made for a stated period, are both void. If intercourse happens in such a contract, the couple must separate, the woman is owed a mahr, and the child's lineage is established because of the doubt.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Mut'ah was a contract in which a man gave a woman payment to be his wife for a set time, a few days or a month or more, after which it ended without talaq. It was allowed for brief periods during early campaigns, then forbidden. Sabrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said Allah has forbidden it until the Day of Resurrection, and Ali narrated that it was forbidden at Khaybar.
Marriage in the Quran is a solemn covenant (4:21), with inheritance, iddah, talaq and lasting family duties. A contract built to end on a date has none of that. That is why all four Sunni schools treat it as void, not as a weak kind of nikah.
- A nikah with a stated end date is void, just like mut'ah.
- A nikah with a hidden intention to divorce later, for example while studying abroad: the Hanafis hold the contract valid because no time was stated, but scholars condemn the deception, and many today forbid it outright.
- Misyar, where the wife waives some rights, is a different contract. See misyar.
- Secret marriages raise their own issues. See secret nikah.
The Shia Ja'fari school holds that mut'ah remained permitted. Sunni scholars hold it was abrogated, based on these hadiths and the agreement of the Companions. For a Sunni Muslim, entering mut'ah means entering a void contract, and any relationship under it must end with repentance. See conditions of a valid nikah.
The evidence
Quran, Surah An-Nisaa 4:21
وَكَيْفَ تَأْخُذُونَهُۥ وَقَدْ أَفْضَىٰ بَعْضُكُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ وَأَخَذْنَ مِنكُم مِّيثَٰقًا غَلِيظًۭا ﴿٢١﴾
And how could you take it while you have gone in unto each other and they have taken from you a solemn covenant?
Marriage is a lasting covenant, not a rental for a set time.
Quran, Surah Al-Muminoon 23:5-7
وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَٰفِظُونَ ﴿٥﴾ إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزْوَٰجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَٰنُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ ﴿٦﴾ فَمَنِ ٱبْتَغَىٰ وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْعَادُونَ ﴿٧﴾
And they who guard their private parts Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed - But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors -
Intimacy is lawful only with a real spouse.
Sahih Muslim 1406
Sahih... وإن الله قد حرم ذلك إلى يوم القيامة ...
"And Allah has forbidden it until the Day of Resurrection."
Mut'ah was forbidden permanently.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4216
Sahih... نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن متعة النساء يوم خيبر ...
"The Messenger of Allah forbade mut'ah with women on the day of Khaybar."
Ali's report of the prohibition.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Nikah, on mut'ah and the time-limited nikah. Both are void.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Nikah, on the time-limited nikah. A nikah with an unstated intention to divorce is valid as a contract.
- al-Mughni (Ibn Qudama), Kitab al-Nikah, on mut'ah. The Hanbali ruling that mut'ah is void.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.