Fatwa ID: 07381
Answered by: Mufti Mamunur Hussain
Question:
If a person while communicating with his wife and getting in an argument, writes “I have given you talak” while thinking whether or not he should give the talak i.e. he wasn’t clear on intention, and then not sending it and deletes it immediately, will divorce occurred?
If the person in question didn’t know about it and forgets all these and then remembers after 1 year plus that he might have written such sentences, what would be the hukum? He can’t remember the time, place, exact phrase and on which argument etc.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
According to Hanafi fiqh, it is not a requirement that divorce be given verbally, rather a written divorce will take effect if the writing is clear and unambiguous.1
Writing (in divorce) can be of two types; formal, meaning those that are addressed to someone with headings and addresses and informal, meaning those things which are written unaddressed without heading etc.
Thereafter, informal is of two types; clear and comprehensive writing, which is written on an item, i.e., paper, parchment or wall, and unclear writing, such as that which is written in the air or on water, in such a manner that it is not understandable.2
Based on the above, we can deduce that messaging someone would fall under formal writing, as it addressed to the individual the message is intended to, as such there is no need for an intention in such a case3, and therefore in the context of the question divorce would occur.
As for the person forgetting, then he needs to inform all parties involved and the ruling would be that divorce stands and she needs to retrospectively calculate her iddah, unless he has taken her back during her retrospective iddah, in which case nothing is needed. However, he should be fully aware that he has divorced her once and for all future intent and purposes he has two divorces remaining before she is considered a mughalazzah.
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Mufti Mamunur Hussain
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
1 Bada’i al-Sana’i (DKI, vol 3,pg 100)
وَكَذَا التَّكَلُّمُ بِالطَّلَاقِ لَيْسَ بِشَرْطٍ فَيَقَعُ الطَّلَاقُ بِالْكِتَابَةِ الْمُسْتَبِينَةِ وَبِالْإِشَارَةِ الْمَفْهُومَةِ مِنْ الْأَخْرَسِ لِأَنَّ الْكِتَابَةَ الْمُسْتَبِينَةَ تَقُومُ مَقَامَ اللَّفْظِ وَالْإِشَارَةَ الْمَفْهُومَةَ تَقُومُ مَقَامَ الْعِبَارَةِ.
2 Fatawa al-Hindiyyah (Dar al-Fikr, vol 1, pg 378)
(الْفَصْلُ السَّادِسُ فِي الطَّلَاقِ بِالْكِتَابَةِ) الْكِتَابَةُ عَلَى نَوْعَيْنِ مَرْسُومَةٌ وَغَيْرُ مَرْسُومَةٍ وَنَعْنِي بِالْمَرْسُومَةِ أَنْ يَكُونَ مُصَدَّرًا وَمُعَنْوَنًا مِثْلُ مَا يُكْتَبُ إلَى الْغَائِبِ وَغَيْرُ مَوْسُومَةٍ أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ مُصَدَّرًا وَمُعَنْوَنًا وَهُوَ عَلَى وَجْهَيْنِ مُسْتَبِينَةٌ وَغَيْرُ مُسْتَبِينَةٍ فَالْمُسْتَبِينَةُ مَا يُكْتَبُ عَلَى الصَّحِيفَةِ وَالْحَائِطِ وَالْأَرْضِ عَلَى وَجْهٍ يُمْكِنُ فَهْمُهُ وَقِرَاءَتُهُ وَغَيْرُ الْمُسْتَبِينَةِ مَا يُكْتَبُ عَلَى الْهَوَاءِ وَالْمَاءِ وَشَيْءٍ لَا يُمْكِنُ فَهْمُهُ وَقِرَاءَتُهُ
3 Fatawa al-Hindiyyah (Dar al-Fikr, vol 1, pg 378)
فَفِي غَيْرِ الْمُسْتَبِينَةِ لَا يَقَعُ الطَّلَاقُ وَإِنْ نَوَى وَإِنْ كَانَتْ مُسْتَبِينَةً لَكِنَّهَا غَيْرُ مَرْسُومَةٍ إنْ نَوَى الطَّلَاقَ يَقَعُ وَإِلَّا فَلَا وَإِنْ كَانَتْ مَرْسُومَةً يَقَعُ الطَّلَاقُ نَوَى أَوْ لَمْ يَنْوِ ثُمَّ الْمَرْسُومَةُ لَا تَخْلُو أَمَّا إنْ أَرْسَلَ الطَّلَاقَ بِأَنْ كَتَبَ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَأَنْت طَالِقٌ فَكُلَّمَا كَتَبَ هَذَا يَقَعُ الطَّلَاقُ وَتَلْزَمُهَا الْعِدَّةُ مِنْ وَقْتِ الْكِتَابَةِ.
