Fatwa ID: 05189

Answered by: Mufti Muhammad Adnan

Question

Can you confirm that divorce only occurs when words of divorce are uttered explicitly?

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful

Answer:

Once the man utters: “I divorce my wife”, and utters these words in such a tone that he himself can hear these words, divorce comes into effect. This is irrespective of whether he uttered them in private or in public, and whether his wife heard him uttering these words or not. in all cases, divorce takes place. (Bahishti Zewar)

If you merely have doubts it doesn’t constitute a divorce.

And Allah Ta’ala knows best

Written by Mufti Muhammad Adnan

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham