Fatwa ID: 06952

Answered by: Maulana Ousman Haye

Question:

If a husband and wife end their UK civil partnership as they have separated but have not yet done the Islamic talaq process through a Islamic shariah Court, Will the wife has to do iddah or not and wait for the shariah court ruling, etc.?

Also the husband and wife have said they have not said the words of talaq or khulah to each other yet.

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

Answer:

It is not a condition for the occurrence of talaq (divorce) that it must be said verbally.

If a man did not utter any words of divorce, but merely wrote the documents of divorce in clear words or instructed a third person – even if it is a non-Muslim – to write the decree of divorce on his behalf and then signed the written document, one irrevocable divorce will take place. Also if one appoints a third person to issue divorce on his behalf (tawkil), divorce will come into effect.

Since the UK civil marriage has ended, it means that the above mentioned details took place, thus resulting in one irrevocable divorce. The wife is now divorced and separated from the husband Islamically as well. Hence, the woman must start her iddah (waiting period).

وَكَذَا التَّكَلُّمُ بِالطَّلَاقِ لَيْسَ بِشَرْطٍ فَيَقَعُ الطَّلَاقُ بِالْكِتَابَةِ الْمُسْتَبِينَةِ وَبِالْإِشَارَةِ الْمَفْهُومَةِ مِنْ الْأَخْرَسِ لِأَنَّ الْكِتَابَةَ الْمُسْتَبِينَةَ تَقُومُ مَقَامَ
اللَّفْظِ وَالْإِشَارَةَ الْمَفْهُومَةَ تَقُومُ مَقَامَ الْعِبَارَةِ.
(بدائع الصنائع، ج٣، ص١٠٠، دار الكتب العلمية)

كُتِبَ الطَّلَاقُ، وَإِنْ مُسْتَبِينًا عَلَى نَحْوِ لَوْحٍ وَقَعَ إنْ نَوَى، وَقِيلَ مُطْلَقًا، وَلَوْ عَلَى نَحْوِ الْمَاءِ فَلَا مُطْلَقًا. وَلَوْ كُتِبَ عَلَى وَجْهِ
الرِّسَالَةِ وَالْخِطَابِ، كَأَنْ يَكْتُبُ يَا فُلَانَةُ: إذَا أَتَاك كِتَابِي هَذَا فَأَنْتِ طَالِقٌ طَلُقَتْ بِوُصُولِ الْكِتَابِ جَوْهَرَةٌ.
وَلَوْ قَالَ لِلْكَاتِبِ: اُكْتُبْ طَلَاقَ امْرَأَتِي كَانَ إقْرَارًا بِالطَّلَاقِ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكْتُبْ؛ وَلَوْ اسْتَكْتَبَ مِنْ آخَرَ كِتَابًا بِطَلَاقِهَا وَقَرَأَهُ عَلَى الزَّوْجِ
فَأَخَذَهُ الزَّوْجُ وَخَتَمَهُ وَعَنْوَنَهُ وَبَعَثَ بِهِ إلَيْهَا فَأَتَاهَا وَقَعَ إنْ أَقَرَّ الزَّوْجُ أَنَّهُ كِتَابَةٌ أَوْ قَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ: ابْعَثْ بِهِ إلَيْهَا، أَوْ قَالَ لَهُ: اُكْتُبْ
نُسْخَةً وَابْعَثْ بِهَا إلَيْهَا،
(رد المحتار، ج٣، ص٢٤٦-٢٤٧، دار الفكر)

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.

Written by Maulana Ousman Haye

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham