Fatwa ID: 06789

 

Answered by: Alimah Jannatun Nessa

 

Question:

 

I had a fight with my husband and asked him to give divorce, I didn’t hear what he said then. I think he said, this last time if you don’t want to stay then divorce happens or any kinaya word or something like divorce in future. I said I don’t want to stay, give it, he said no I can’t divorce you. The next day I asked him, did you say that with intention it happens immediately. He said: I forgot everything and can’t remember what I intended, Maybe I said something kinaya word or say something like this in the future that if you don’t want to stay or I will divorce you or you go your way I go mine but I doubt it happened divorced or not but now I don’t want to give you divorce. We are very much in doubt and breaking down mentally please give an answer, Are we divorced or not?

 

 

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 

Answer:

 

There are a couple of issues that need to be discussed here:

 

1- Divorce in future tense

 

2- Kinaya divorce

 

First, the Ulama have agreed that divorce must be made in past or present tense to be valid. Therefore, if the husband says anything such as “I will divorce you”, it is considered an expression of wanting to take a certain action in the future but will not count as a divorce.

 

Second, for a kinaya talaq it is important that the husband has an intention to divorce his wife the moment he gives her divorce, if he does not have this intention the wife is not divorced.

 

Lastly, there is no preference for something uncertain (divorce) over something certain (marriage), so if the husband forgets whether he made an intention to divorce his wife, the divorce will not take place.

 

 

 

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.

Written by Alimah Jannatun Nessa

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

 

 

 

[Radd ul Mukhtar, volume 4, page 527, Daar al kutub al ilmiyyah]

فالكنايات لا تطلق بها قضاء إلا بنية أو دلالة الحال

 

 

[Badai-us-sanai, volume 3 , page 25 , Daar al kutub al ilmiyyah]

وإن دخلت على الزمان فإن كان ماضيا يقع الطلاق في الحال نحو أن يقول أنت طالق في الأمس أو في العام الماضي لأن إنشاء الطلاق في الزمان الماضي لا يتصور فيجعل إخبارا أو تلغو الإضافة إلى الماضي ويبقى قوله أنت طالق فيقع في الحال وكذلك إذا كان حاضرا بأن قال أنت طالق في هذا الوقت أو في هذه الساعة يقع في الحال وإن كان مستقبلا لا يقع حتى يأتي بأن قال أنت طالق في غد أو في الشهر الآتي لأن الطلاق يحتمل الاختصاص بوقت دون وقت فإذا جعل الغد ظرفا له لا يقع قبله

 

 

[Qawaid Fiqhiyyah, page 15]

اليقين لا يزول بالشك