Ibn Abbas said: "Mut'ah was only during the beginning of Islam. A man would arrive in a land that he was not familiar with so he would marry a woman for the extent of time that he thought he would remain there. So his Mut'ah was upheld and his case was fine until the (following) Ayah was revealed: Except their wives or what their right hands possess. Then every private part other than those became unlawful."
Reference: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1122 In-book : Book 11, Hadith 44 English translation : Vol. 2, Book 6, Hadith 1122
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