Fatwa ID: 07902
Answered by Aalimah Saleha Bukhari Islam
Question:
My brother in law has issued 3 divorces in one sitting to my sister explicitly using the words I’ve divorced you 3 times. Furthermore he has confirmed his intent on the 3 divorces by notifying his family members and ourselves that he had issued 3 divorces. Please can you confirm if the marriage is now irrevocable. Also his eldest brother is demanding my sister to give back 18k which was a gift given to her by him for her to buy a house for their family home however there was no contract or condition explicitly stating that the gift was given on the condition that their marriage is intact.
Also they have an 18 year old son we need clarification Islamically if the father is responsible for his upkeep as he’s still in education or if according to UK law once they are 18 the parents don’t have any financial obligation. Please can you ensure I have a Bengali speaking imam as the elder families involved want evidence of the fatwa to be recorded so to make it easier for them to understand.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Divorce:
When the husband issues three divorces to his wife, she becomes permanently Haram for him. This is recognised as Talaq Mughallatha, a Bidi’ form of divorce with three Talaqs issued in a single statement or three Talaqs issued in a single period of purity.
Let us summarise the situation to conclude the result:
- The words “I’ve divorced you 3 times” were clearly and audibly pronounced.
- The issuing of divorce occurred in one sitting.
- The husband was conscious of his decision and informed family concerned.
If a man exercises this right, the divorce takes effect, and he has also sinned because this type of Talaq is a Bidi’ form. The Talaq is irrevocable in this case. [1]
Gift:
The ruling concerning gifts is that it is impermissible to ask for it to be returned. It is not permissible to take back a gift if it was possessed and accepted by the person to whom it was given. The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
“The person who takes back a gift is like a dog which vomits, then eats what it vomited. ”
In another wording: “The one who takes back the charity that he gave is like a dog that vomits then eats its vomit.” [Bukhari and Muslim] [2]
The key consideration here is whether the 18k gift, given by the husband’s brother, was intended for a family home. If so, it should be viewed as a gift to the couple, not just to your sister. The crucial question is whether the intent behind the gift was for your sister alone to purchase the property, or if it was meant for her and her ex-husband jointly. Given that the gift was likely intended for the family, and since the prospect of sharing a family home is no longer feasible, it would be appropriate for your sister to return 9k to her ex-husband, representing his share of the gift.
Custody:
From an Islamic perspective, a father’s responsibility remains intact if his son is still in education, in which case he is considered poor and needy. The father should continue to support him until he completes his studies, at which point he may help him find employment to fulfil his duty of upkeep. In contrast, under UK law, parents have no financial obligations to their children once they reach adulthood at eighteen. [3]
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Aalimah Saleha Bukhari Islam
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[1] وطلاق البدعة أن يطلقها ثلاثا بكلمة واحدة أو ثلاثا في طهر واحد، فإذا فعل ذلك وقع الطلاق وكان عاصيا.
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[2] عن عبد الله بن عباس رضي الله عنهما مرفوعاً: “العائد في هِبَتِهِ، كالعائد في قَيْئِهِ”. وفي لفظ: “فإن الذى يعود في صدقته: كالكلب يَقِئ ُثم يعود في قيئه”.
[صحيح] – [متفق عليه]
[3] (وَتَجِبُ) النَّفَقَةُ بِأَنْوَاعِهَا عَلَى الْحُرِّ (لِطِفْلِهِ) يَعُمُّ الْأُنْثَى وَالْجَمْعَ (الْفَقِيرِ) الْحُرِّ، فَإِنَّ نَفَقَةَ الْمَمْلُوكِ عَلَى مَالِكِهِ وَالْغَنِيِّ فِي مَالِهِ الْحَاضِرِ؛ فَلَوْ غَائِبًا فَعَلَى الْأَبِ ثُمَّ يَرْجِعُ إنْ أَشْهَدَ لَا إنْ نَوَى إلَّا دِيَانَةً؛ فَلَوْ كَانَا فَقِيرَيْنِ فَالْأَبُ يَكْتَسِبُ أَوْ يَتَكَفَّفُ وَيُنْفِقُ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَلَوْ لَمْ يَتَيَسَّرْ أَنْفَقَ عَلَيْهِمْ الْقَرِيبُ
(قَوْلُهُ الْفَقِيرِ) أَيْ إنْ لَمْ يَبْلُغْ حَدَّ الْكَسْبِ، فَإِنْ بَلَغَهُ كَانَ لِلْأَبِ أَنْ يُؤْجِرَهُ أَوْ يَدْفَعَهُ فِي حِرْفَةٍ لِيَكْتَسِبَ وَيُنْفِقَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ كَسْبِهِ لَوْ كَانَ ذَكَرًا، بِخِلَافِ الْأُنْثَى كَمَا قَدَّمَهُ فِي الْحَضَانَةِ عَنْ الْمُؤَيِّدِيَّةِ. قَالَ الْخَيْرُ الرَّمْلِيُّ: لَوْ اسْتَغْنَتْ الْأُنْثَى بِنَحْوِ خِيَاطَةٍ وَغَزْلٍ يَجِبُ أَنْ تَكُونَ نَفَقَتُهَا فِي كَسْبِهَا كَمَا هُوَ ظَاهِرٌ، وَلَا نَقُولُ تَجِبُ عَلَى الْأَبِ مَعَ ذَلِكَ، إلَّا إذَا كَانَ لَا يَكْفِيهَا فَتَجِبُ عَلَى الْأَبِ كِفَايَتُهَا بِدَفْعِ الْقَدْرِ الْمَعْجُوزِ عَنْهُ، وَلَمْ أَرَهُ لِأَصْحَابِنَا. وَلَا يُنَافِيهِ قَوْلُهُمْ بِخِلَافِ الْأُنْثَى؛ لِأَنَّ الْمَمْنُوعَ إيجَارُهَا، وَلَا يَلْزَمُ مِنْهُ عَدَمُ إلْزَامِهَا بِحِرْفَةٍ تَعْلَمُهَا. اهـ أَيْ الْمَمْنُوعَ إيجَارُهَا لِلْخِدْمَةِ وَنَحْوِهَا مِمَّا فِيهِ تَسْلِيمُهَا لِلْمُسْتَأْجِرِ بِدَلِيلِ قَوْلِهِمْ؛ لِأَنَّ الْمُسْتَأْجِرَ يَخْلُو بِهَا وَذَا لَا يَجُوزُ فِي الشَّرْعِ، وَعَلَيْهِ فَلَهُ دَفْعُهَا لِامْرَأَةٍ تُعَلِّمُهَا حِرْفَةً كَتَطْرِيزٍ وَخِيَاطَةٍ مَثَلًا.
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