High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Nik al-Mut ah, or sigheh (Persia), is a fixed-term marriage contract according to the Usuli Shia schools. It that allows couples to have religiously sanctioned sex for a limited period of time, without any commitments, and without the obligatory involvement of religious figures. The duration of this type of marriage is fixed at its inception and is then automatically dissolved upon completion of its term. The period is minimum one hour and the contract is subject to renewal. The upper limit is one year according to Foreign Policy and 99 years according to Akbar Aghajanian of Fayetteville State University. Financial payments may be made between the couple, usually with the male paying the female.