Stipulations in Marriage: The Permissible and Impermissible ones

‌ فِي الرَّجُلِ يَتَزَوَّجُ الْمَرْأَةَ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى فَإِنْ جَاءَ بِصَدَاقِهَا إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى فَهِيَ امْرَأَتُهُ وَ إِنْ لَمْ يَأْتِ بِصَدَاقِهَا إِلَى الْأَجَلِ فَلَيْسَ لَهُ عَلَيْهَا سَبِيلٌ وَ ذَلِكَ شَرْطُهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ حِينَ أَنْكَحُوهُ فَقَضَى لِلرَّجُلِ أَنَّ بِيَدِهِ بُضْعَ امْرَأَتِهِ وَ أَحْبَطَ شَرْطَهُمْ

“About the case of a man who marries a woman for an appointed time that if within that time he pays mahr (dower) she is his wife and if he does not pay mahr (dower) within the appointed time he will have no way to the woman because such is their condition of the time of forming marriage, abu Ja’far ‘Alayhi al-Salam, ha

يَفِي لَهَا بِذَلِكَ أَوْ قَالَ يَلْزَمُهُ ذَلِكَ‌[1].

“About the case of a man who marries a woman with the condition that he will not take her out of her town, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘He must keep that promise’ or that he (the Imam) said, ‘It is binding upon him.’”

سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ رَجُلٍ تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً وَ شَرَطَ عَلَيْهَا أَنْ يَأْتِيَهَا إِذَا شَاءَ وَ يُنْفِقَ عَلَيْهَا شَيْئاً مُسَمًّى كُلَّ شَهْرٍ قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ‌[2].

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who marries a woman with the condition to come to her whenever he wants and pays her an agreed upon amount every month. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not unlawful.’”

سُئِلَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع عَنِ الْمَهَارِيَّةِ[1] يَشْتَرِطُ عَلَيْهَا عِنْدَ عُقْدَةِ النِّكَاحِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَهَا مَتَى شَاءَ كُلَّ شَهْرٍ وَ كُلَّ جُمْعَةٍ يَوْماً وَ مِنَ النَّفَقَةِ كَذَا وَ كَذَا قَالَ لَيْسَ ذَلِكَ الشَّرْطُ بِشَيْ‌ءٍ وَ مَنْ تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً فَلَهَا مَا لِلْمَرْأَةِ مِنَ النَّفَقَةِ وَ الْقِسْمَةِ وَ لَكِنَّهُ إِذَا تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً فَخَافَتْ مِنْهُ نُشُوزاً أَوْ خَافَتْ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَ ع

“Abu Abu Ja’far (a.s.), was asked about the case of a man who married a woman who could only be visited during the day because of a condition at the time of forming marriage that he could visit her whenever he wants, like every month, every week one day with so and so amount for expenses. He (the Imam) said, ‘Such cond

لِعَبْدِهِ أُعْتِقُكَ عَلَى أَنْ أُزَوِّجَكَ ابْنَتِي فَإِنْ تَزَوَّجْتَ أَوْ تَسَرَّيْتَ عَلَيْهَا فَعَلَيْكَ مِائَةُ دِينَارٍ فَأَعْتَقَهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَ تَسَرَّى أَوْ تَزَوَّجَ قَالَ عَلَيْهِ شَرْطُهُ.

“About the case of a man who has a slave to whom he says, ‘I set you free with the condition that I will give my daughter in marriage to you and if you married a second wife on her or did something secretly against her you must pay one hundred dinar’, and he sets him free on such condition but he does secretly and marr

أَنَّ ضُرَيْساً كَانَتْ تَحْتَهُ بِنْتُ حُمْرَانَ فَجَعَلَ لَهَا أَنْ لَا يَتَزَوَّجَ عَلَيْهَا وَ أَنْ لَا يَتَسَرَّى أَبَداً فِي حَيَاتِهَا وَ لَا بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا عَلَى أَنْ جَعَلَتْ لَهُ هِيَ أَنْ لَا تَتَزَوَّجَ بَعْدَهُ وَ جَعَلَا عَلَيْهِمَا مِنَ الْهَدْيِ وَ الْحَجِّ وَ الْبُدْنِ وَ كُلَّ مَالِهِمَا فِي الْمَسَاكِينِ إِنْ لَمْ يَفِ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا لِصَاحِبِهِ ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ أَتَى أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع

“Durays was married to the daughter of Humran with the condition that he will not marry a second wife on her and will never do anything secretly against her in her lifetime and after her death and a condition on her not to marry anyone after him. They set upon each other the condition of offering sacrifice, al-Hajj, an

خَالَفَ السُّنَّةَ وَ وَلَّى الْحَقَّ مَنْ لَيْسَ أَهْلَهُ وَ قَضَى أَنَّ عَلَى الرَّجُلِ الصَّدَاقَ وَ أَنَّ بِيَدِهِ الْجِمَاعَ وَ الطَّلَاقَ وَ تِلْكَ السُّنَّةُ.

“About the case of a woman who marries a man and she as part of her mahr (dower) says that going to bed will be in her control as well as divorce, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘It is against the Sunnah and has entrusted the right with one who is not the right person for it. Judgment requires that the man must pay m

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي الْحَسَنِ مُوسَى ع وَ أَنَا قَائِمٌ جَعَلَنِيَ اللَّهُ فِدَاكَ إِنَّ شَرِيكاً لِي كَانَتْ تَحْتَهُ امْرَأَةٌ فَطَلَّقَهَا فَبَانَتْ مِنْهُ فَأَرَادَ مُرَاجَعَتَهَا وَ قَالَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ لَا وَ اللَّهِ لَا أَتَزَوَّجُكَ أَبَداً حَتَّى تَجْعَلَ اللَّهَ لِي عَلَيْكَ أَلَّا تُطَلِّقَنِي وَ لَا تَزَوَّجَ عَلَيَّ قَالَ وَ فَعَلَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَدْ فَعَلَ جَعَلَنِيَ اللَّهُ فِدَاكَ قَالَ بِئْسَ مَا صَنَعَ وَ

“I once said to abu al-Hassan, Musa (a.s.), when I was standing, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, my partner had a wife. He divorced her and became stranger to her then he wanted to go back to her and she said, ‘No, by Allah, I will never marry you until you make it binding on yourself from A

سُئِلَ وَ أَنَا حَاضِرٌ عَنْ رَجُلٍ تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً عَلَى مِائَةِ دِينَارٍ عَلَى أَنْ تَخْرُجَ مَعَهُ إِلَى بِلَادِهِ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَخْرُجْ مَعَهُ فَإِنَّ مَهْرَهَا خَمْسُونَ دِينَاراً إِنْ أَبَتْ أَنْ تَخْرُجَ مَعَهُ إِلَى بِلَادِهِ قَالَ فَقَالَ إِنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ بِهَا إِلَى بِلَادِ الشِّرْكِ فَلَا شَرْطَ لَهُ عَلَيْهَا فِي ذَلِكَ وَ لَهَا مِائَةُ دِينَارٍ الَّتِي أَصْدَقَهَا إِيَّاهَا وَ إِنْ أَرَادَ أ

“This is concerning a question before abu al-Hassan, Musa (a.s.), in my presence, about the case of a man who marries a woman for one hundred dinar with the condition that she will go with him to his town. If she will not go with him to his town her mahr (dower) will be fifty dinar. He (the Imam) said, ‘If he wants to