860 – Salama ibn al-Akwaʿ said: “During the expedition of Autas the Messenger of Allah ﷺ permitted temporary marriage (mutʿa) for three days, and then he forbade it.” Related by Muslim. (1)

— Vocabulary of the ḥadīth —
• Autas (ʾAwṭās): After the Prophet ﷺ routed Hawazin at Hunayn, some of the fugitives withdrew to Autas and regrouped there. He sent a detachment under Abū ʿĀmir al-Ashʿarī in pursuit, and a battle ensued that was in effect a continuation of the campaign of Hunayn in both time and place. No locality now bears that name, yet trustworthy residents familiar with the region have told me that Autas is the spot presently known as “al-Buhaytah,” situated between as-Sayl al-Kabīr (Qarn al-Manāzil) and Nakhla al-Yamāniyyah, about sixty kilometres east of Mecca. This identification is plausible, for the site matches the circumstances of the expedition and the description given by Duraid ibn al-Ṣimmah, who said:
“Excellent ground for horses to charge—
neither craggy harsh highland nor loose yielding plain.”

• mutʿa: Derived from the verb “tamattuʿa” (to enjoy, to benefit), the noun refers to a form of marriage contracted for a fixed term; the bond dissolves automatically when that period expires.