Legal Status of Alimony for Pregnant Women in Temporary Marriage (Critique of Article 1113 of the Iranian Civil Code and the Opinions of the Jurists)

There are clear differences among the jurists about the right to alimony of a separated pregnant wife. Many jurists, whose views are more popular, consider the separated wife to be inherently deprived of the right to alimony, citing the rule that "there is no alimony for a temporary wife". In contrast, Sheikh Tusi and his followers hold the second view and believe that it is obligatory to pay alimony to the separated pregnant wife. Under the article 1113 of the Civil Code of Iran that follows the first view of the jurists, the payment of alimony to a pregnant temporary wife becomes obligatory where the parties have set out a condition at the time of concluding the contract of mut'ah. Using a descriptive-analytical method and after reviewing each point of view along with the presented documents, the author evaluates that if it is proved by evidence that the alimony should be given to a separated pregnant wife there is no contradiction with the ruling of Imamiyyah jurists that the separated wife has no right to get alimony. It is because of the fact that it is obligatory for the husband to pay alimony whether the separated wife has the right to get the alimony or not. In addition to the weakness of the first argument, the ruling of the necessity of alimony is proved in two ways: First, by taking the opposite meaning from the verse 6 of the Surah Al-talaq which considers the description of pregnancy as the exclusive cause for proving alimony and indicates the need to pay alimony. Second, through the "originality of alimony of pregnancy" in which case the ruling of the necessity of alimony, based on the general evidence of alimony for close relatives, has more implication on lineage alimony.