Valuable

Ahmed* moves from his village to a large Pakistani city for work. There, through our work, he learns about Jesus and accepts him into his life. At the same time, back home, his mother and two brothers force their sister Fatima* to marry a cousin who is already married. This is a practice of Shiite Muslims and is called Mutaa.

The concept of Mutaa was introduced by the Prophet Muhammad and his companions when they went to war and left their wives behind. To satisfy their physical needs, they invented the concept of temporary marriage and declared it to be Islamic and legal. The price and duration of the marriage are agreed with the women. At the end of this period, the women return to their families and the contract is terminated. In truth, this is nothing more than prostitution. Today, the majority of Muslims reject mutaa because it was only intended for times of war. However, mutaa is still practiced today in many rural areas of Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan.

Fatima does not want to marry her cousin and turns to her brother Ahmed. He encourages his sister and tells her about Jesus: what he taught about marriage and how he treated women. And that in Christianity, it is very valuable to be a woman. Disappointed by the way she and other women are treated in Islam, Fatima decides to move to the city to live with her brother. And she says, “I want to follow Jesus.” She is led to Christ by our partner's wife and is then baptized.

When her family discovers where she is living, they come to take her back. Ahmed and Fatima refuse, and the situation escalates. As a result, their landlord, who initially supported them, has now terminated their lease. Finding a new place to live is not easy, as only Ahmed is working and they don't have much money.

* Names changed