Fatwa ID: 09372
Answered by Mufti Abdurrahman Mohammad
Question:
Till yesterday I was not aware of conditional divorce. Few days ago I said to wife if you use abusive or vulgar language again I will leave you.
1) It was not threat.
2) It was not divorce.
I had decided if she do same again I would type message and will divorce her. Sending same message to few witnesses aa well. But I was not sure if I would do very first time or ignore 2-3 times and do if she still persists. Very confused since 2 days. Kindly guide.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Talāq in Future Tense or Promising to Divorce
It is important to be very careful when talking about divorce, as careless statements can sometimes issue a divorce. Simply threatening or promising divorce doesn’t actually make it happen. For a divorce to be valid or correctly suspended upon a condition, the consequence of the condition (i.e. statement of Talāq) must be clearly stated either in the past or present tense. Otherwise, it will only be a promise of Talāq.
When using words of divorce, the divorce must be pronounced in the past or present tense for it to occur. Adding “will” forces the sentence into the future tense and is merely a promise to give Talāq.
If [a husband] says, ‘Divorcing you is necessary upon me’ it does not occur.[1]
The present tense does not constitute divorce unless it is predominant in the situation.[2]
Therefore, the statement “If you use abusive or vulgar language again I will leave you” is merely a threat or promise of divorce and does not result in a Talāq, even if the condition is found.
Conditional Divorce [3]
If you make divorce (Talāq) conditional upon a specific action or condition (i.e. your wife contacting a specific person or if you use abusive or vulgar language again), the Talāq will take effect as soon as the condition is fulfilled, whether you are aware of it or not. For instance, if you say that your wife will be divorced if she uses abusive or vulgar language again, she will automatically be divorced as soon as she does so, regardless of your knowledge. In a conditional Talāq, you do not need to explicitly pronounce the divorce if the condition is found (i.e. your wife using abusive or vulgar language again), the Talāq will occur automatically. If the total number of Talāqs reaches three, your wife becomes Mughallazah (permanently divorced), and it becomes impermissible for you to remain with her.
Explicit Words (Talāq Sarīh) [4, 5]
These are clear, direct terms and wording that undoubtedly signify divorce. In cases of explicit statements, no intention of divorce is required for divorce to occur. The words alone are enough. If you simply said “I divorce you,” Talāq would happen regardless of intention.
Implicit Words (Kināyah) [6, 7]
Kināyah refers to indirect or ambiguous phrases that could imply divorce but may also have other meanings. These words do not result in an automatic divorce and require a Talaq context or intention for divorce to occur. Raddul Muhtār states. “Divorce does not occur with them except with intention or by the indication of a situation”. Your statement “I will leave you” is a Kināyah (implicit) statement as it could mean Talāq or something else. Talāq can be given by this statement if the surrounding context indicates towards it or if it is accompanied by intention for divorce. If this is the case, it will then result in one Talāq Bāin (separable divorce).
Advice
You should be very careful not to use Talāq directly or conditionally as a threat or a tool to control your wife’s behavior. Words spoken in anger or frustration can sometimes carry binding legal consequences in the Shariah, even when a person does not fully intend divorce at that moment, and this can lead to serious regret and confusion later. If you have marital issues, they should be addressed through calm discussion, counsel, mediation, and patience. Only if you are 100% certain that you wish to separate from your wife after thorough thought and consultation, only then should you divorce your wife with one Talāq Raj’ī (revocable divorce).
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Mufti Abdurrahman Mohammad
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
وَلَوْ قَالَ طَلَاقُك عَلَيَّ لَا يَقَعُ
Al-Fatāwā Al-Hindiyya, vol. 1, pg. 355, Al-Maṭba’ah Al-Kubrā Al-Amīriyyah
[2]
صِيغَةُ الْمُضَارِعِ لَا يَقَعُ بِهَا الطَّلَاقُ إلَّا إذَا غَلَبَ فِي الْحَالِ
Al-Aqud Al-Durriyah fi Tanqih Al-Fatawa Al-Hamidyah, vol. 1, pg. 38, Dar Al-Ma’rifah
[3]
[الْبَابُ الرَّابِعُ فِي الطَّلَاقِ بِالشَّرْطِ وَنَحْوِهِ وَفِيهِ أَرْبَعَةُ فُصُولٍ]
[الْفَصْلُ الْأَوَّلُ فِي أَلْفَاظِ الشَّرْطِ]
الْبَابُ الرَّابِعُ فِي الطَّلَاقِ بِالشَّرْطِ وَنَحْوِهِ وَفِيهِ أَرْبَعَةُ فُصُولٍ (الْفَصْلُ الْأَوَّلُ فِي أَلْفَاظِ الشَّرْطِ) أَلْفَاظُ الشَّرْطِ إنْ وَإِذَا وَإِذْمَا وَكُلُّ وَكُلَّمَا وَمَتَى وَمَتَى مَا فَفِي هَذِهِ الْأَلْفَاظِ إذَا وُجِدَ الشَّرْطُ انْحَلَّتْ الْيَمِينُ وَانْتَهَتْ لِأَنَّهَا تَقْتَضِي الْعُمُومَ وَالتَّكْرَارَ فَبِوُجُودِ الْفِعْلِ مَرَّةً تَمَّ الشَّرْطُ وَانْحَلَّتْ الْيَمِينُ فَلَا يَتَحَقَّقُ الْحِنْثُ بَعْدَهُ إلَّا فِي كُلَّمَا لِأَنَّهَا تُوجِبُ عُمُومَ الْأَفْعَالِ فَإِذَا كَانَ الْجَزَاءُ الطَّلَاقَ وَالشَّرْطُ بِكَلِمَةِ كُلَّمَا يَتَكَرَّرُ الطَّلَاقُ بِتَكْرَارِ الْحِنْثِ حَتَّى يَسْتَوْفِيَ طَلَاقَ الْمِلْكِ الَّذِي حَلَفَ عَلَيْهِ فَإِنْ تَزَوَّجَهَا بَعْدَ زَوْجٍ آخَرَ وَتَكَرَّرَ الشَّرْطُ لَمْ يَحْنَثْ عِنْدَنَا كَذَا فِي الْكَافِي
Al-Fatāwā Al-Hindiyyah, vol. 1, pg. 415, Al-Maṭba’ah Al-Kubrā Al-Amīriyyah
[4]
وَعَرَّفَهُ فِي التَّحْرِيرِ بِمَا يَثْبُتُ حُكْمُهُ الشَّرْعِيُّ بِلَا نِيَّةٍ، وَأَرَادَ بِمَا اللَّفْظَ أَوْ مَا يَقُومُ مَقَامَهُ مِنْ الْكِتَابَةِ الْمُسْتَبِينَةِ أَوْ الْإِشَارَةِ الْمَفْهُومَةِ
Radd Al-Muhtār, vol. 3, pg. 247, Darul Fikr Beirut
[5]
وَهُوَ كَأَنْتِ طَالِقٌ وَمُطَلَّقَةٌ وَطَلَّقْتُك وَتَقَعُ وَاحِدَةٌ رَجْعِيَّةٌ وَإِنْ نَوَى الْأَكْثَرَ أَوْ الْإِبَانَةَ أَوْ لَمْ يَنْوِ شَيْئًا كَذَا فِي الْكَنْزِ
Al-Fatāwā Al-Hindiyya, vol. 1, pg. 354, Al-Maṭba’ah Al-Kubrā Al-Amīriyyah
[6]
كِنَايَتُهُ) عِنْدَ الْفُقَهَاءِ (مَا لَمْ يُوضَعْ لَهُ) أَيْ الطَّلَاقِ (وَاحْتَمَلَهُ) وَغَيْرَهُ
Radd Al-Muhtār, vol. 3, pg. 296, Darul Fikr Beirut
[7]
لَا يَقَعُ بِهَا الطَّلَاقُ إلَّا بِالنِّيَّةِ أَوْ بِدَلَالَةِ حَالٍ
Al-Fatāwā Al-Hindiyya, vol. 1, pg. 374, Al-Maṭba’ah Al-Kubrā Al-Amīriyyah