Can Prophet allow something temporarily after prohibiting it forever?

Question

from hadith text we can see Muhammed(pbuh) first prohibit something forever/until the day of resurrection then allowing it on a later day .

First he forbade it on the day of khaybar forever (chronologically first event)

Sahih Buckary Volume 5, Book 59, Number 527:

Narrated 'Ali bin Abi Talib:

On the day of Khaibar, Allah's Apostle forbade the Mut'a (i.e. temporary marriage) and the eating of donkey-meat.

Sahih Muslim Book 008, Number 3265:

Muhammad b. 'Ali narrated on the authority of his father 'Ali that Allah's Apostle (may

peace be upon him) **on the Day of Khaibar prohibited for ever the contracting of

temporary marriage** and eating of the flesh of the domestic asses.

Book 008, Number 3266:

'Ali (Allah be pleased with him) heard that Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) gave

some relaxation in connection with the contracting of temporary marriage, whereupon he

said: Don't be hasty (in your religious verdict), Ibn 'Abbas, for Allah's Messenger (may

peace be upon him) on the Day of Khaibar prohibited for ever the doing of it-And eating

of the flesh of domestic asses.

He allowed it after Mecca victory (chronologically second event)

but there are hadiths which says Muhammed(Pbuh) allowed temporary marriage after mecca victory.then forbade it.

Muslim, Book 008, Number 3253:

Rabi' b. Sabra reported that his father went on an expedition with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) during the Victory of Mecca, and we stayed there for fifteen days (i. e. for thirteen full days and a day and a night), and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) permitted us to contract temporary marriage with women. So I and another person of my tribe went out, and I was more handsome than he, whereas he was almost ugly. Each one of us had a cloaks, My cloak was worn out, whereas the cloak of my cousin was quite new. As we reached the lower or the upper side of Mecca, we came across a young woman like a young smart long-necked she-camel. We said: Is it possible that one of us may contract temporary marriage with you? She said: What will you give me as a dower? Each one of us spread his cloak. She began to cast a glance on both the persons. My companion also looked at her when she was casting a glance at her side and he said: This cloak of his is worn out, whereas my cloak is quite new. She, however, said twice or thrice: There is no harm in (accepting) this cloak (the old one). SO I CONTRACTED TEMPORARY MARRIAGE WITH HER, AND I DID NOT COME OUT (OF THIS) UNTIL ALLAH'S MESSENGER (MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM) DECLARED IT FORBIDDEN.

. Muslim, Book 008, Number 3257:

'Abd al-Malik b. Rabi' b. Sabraal-Juhanni reported on the authority of his father who narrated it on the authority of his father (i e. 'Abd al-Malik's grandfather, Sabura al-juhanni): ALLAH'S MESSENGER (MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM) PERMITTED US TO CONTRACT TEMPORARY MARRIAGE IN THE YEAR OF VICTORY, AS WE ENTERED MECCA, AND WE DID COME OUT OF IT BUT HE FORBADE US TO DO IT.

Question Isn't it contradictory when he first forbade it forever until the day of resurrection on the day of khaybar(which happened before Mecca Victory ) and then allow it temporarily before forbidding it ?

Answer 1

I see no contradiction here; you're just dealing with what looks to be a sloppy translation.

There are two events narrated here: One in which Ali says that the prophet forbade mut'a during the battle of Khaybar, and another in which Sabra indicates that mut'a was permitted during the conquest of Mecca and then later forbidden. Your claim that mut'a was "forbidden forever until the day of resurrection" is a claim also made by Sabra in a different hadith (see: http://sunnah.com/muslim/16/25), but I see no reason to believe that that took place during the battle of Khaybar.

The verb used in Ali's narration is نَهَى; whoever translated your copy of Sahih Muslim translated this as "prohibited for ever" whereas whoever translated your copy of Sahih Bukhari merely translated it as "forbade" (the same verb is used in all three of Ali's ahadith you quoted). However, when Sabra's narration "declared it forbidden" it uses the much stronger verb حَرَّمَ (although other narrations of the same event, including the fifth hadith you quoted, still use the verb نَهَى), the same verb used in the above-mentioned hadith forbidding it "forever until the day of resurrection". See also the related question: "What is the difference between حَرَّمَ and نَهَى?"

Without a clear narration that its final forbiddance was proclaimed during the battle of Khaybar, the entire premise of your question is baseless; yes, the two events taken together say that mut'a was first allowed, then forbidden (نَهَى), then allowed, then forbidden (نَهَى/حَرَّمَ) again, but that in and of itself isn't a contradiction, it's just a series of different rulings applied at different times under different circumstances.

^{(Fun fact: According to Sunnah.com, five four of the ahadith you quoted come from the chapter of Sahih Muslim entitled "Mut'ah Marriage: It was permitted then abrograted, then permitted then abrogated, and it will remain Forbidden until the day of resurrection")}