Fatwa ID: 08792

 

 

Answered by Alimah Humairah Badshah

 

Question:

 

I am writing to seek your guidance and expertise on a marital issue that my wife and I are currently facing.

 

Due to my wife’s mental illness, we have been living separately sine one year on December 5th, 2023. During a conversation, I uttered the phrase ‘I divorce you.’ However, when my wife asked if it was a divorce, I clarified that it was not intended as an immediate divorce but rather a mention of the possibility of divorce in the future.

 

Unfortunately, my wife did not observe the iddah (waiting period) following this statement. On December 25th, 2023, again during chat , I repeated the phrase ‘I divorce you’ ‘i divorce you’ ‘I divorce you’ of emphasizing my intention of divorcing her in the future. I also included an oath to emphasize the seriousness of my words.

 

Subsequently, we sought the advice of a local qaazi (judge) in Saudi Arabia, who deemed this as one revocable divorce.

 

Sheikh, I kindly request your esteemed fatwa (Islamic ruling) on this matter. Please advise us on the validity and revocability of the mentioned divorces and guide us on the appropriate course of action.

 

 

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

 

 

Answer:

 

Whether a statement would be considered an issuance of divorce depends on the language one is speaking and how one’s people use and understand certain words or phrases. Therefore, any contested statements of divorce should ideally be examined by a local qualified scholar, or at least a native or fluent speaker of the language and dialect of the statement in question.

 

In standard English, the precise statement “I divorce you” is a clear and unambiguous statement of divorce in the simple present tense. It does not contain the meaning of a potential divorce in the future, as the wording used in that case would be some variation of ‘I will divorce you’. Due to this, each usage of the statement “I divorce you” would be considered a single issuance of revocable divorce until three divorces have been issued in total, after which a couple will be considered fully and irrevocably divorced. This will be the case in almost all circumstances, and regardless of whether the statement is used alone or following a similar statement.

 

In the circumstances mentioned, assuming that no divorces have occurred before this, the first usage of the statement “I divorce you” would be considered a revocable divorce. The wife ought to have begun her iddah from this issuance. The husband would have had the chance to revoke the separation and take her back within the iddah, either verbally (which is recommended) or by having a sexual interaction. If no revocation occurred before the iddah expired, the couple would be separated and not be considered married any longer. Should they wish to come back together, they would have to perform a nikah anew. Any divorces offered before the second nikah was made would be null and void.

 

If the separation was revoked, or a remarriage occurred, the couple would be considered married with one divorce used up in the past. After this, the husband stating “I divorce you” three times would be three separate issuances of divorce, only the first two of which would be valid. At this point all three divorces will have occurred in this marriage, and so the couple would be fully irrevocably divorced. The lady should complete her iddah, and after that the divorced ex-spouses would be unable to remarry in the near future. Only once the lady has moved on, married another spouse and consummated that marriage would that ruling change.

 

 

References:

 

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/parts-of-speech/verb-tenses/

 

الْفَصْلُ الْأَوَّلُ فِي الطَّلَاقِ الصَّرِيحِ) . وَهُوَ كَأَنْتِ طَالِقٌ وَمُطَلَّقَةٌ وَطَلَّقْتُك وَتَقَعُ وَاحِدَةٌ رَجْعِيَّةٌ وَإِنْ نَوَى الْأَكْثَرَ أَوْ الْإِبَانَةَ أَوْ لَمْ يَنْوِ شَيْئًا كَذَا فِي الْكَنْزِ

وَلَوْ قَالَ لَهَا أَنْتِ طَالِقٌ وَنَوَى بِهِ الطَّلَاقَ عَنْ وَثَاقٍ لَمْ يُصَدَّقْ قَضَاءً وَيَدِينُ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى. وَالْمَرْأَةُ كَالْقَاضِي لَا يَحِلُّ لَهَا أَنْ تُمَكِّنَهُ إذَا سَمِعَتْ مِنْهُ ذَلِكَ أَوْ شَهِدَ بِهِ شَاهِدٌ عَدْلٌ عِنْدَهَا

Al-Fataawa Al-Hindiyyah (Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.1 p.354

 

رَجُلٌ قَالَ لِامْرَأَتِهِ أَنْتِ طَالِقٌ أَنْتِ طَالِقٌ أَنْتِ طَالِقٌ

…

فَقَالَ عَنَيْت بِالْأُولَى الطَّلَاقَ وَبِالثَّانِيَةِ وَالثَّالِثَةِ إفْهَامَهَا صُدِّقَ دِيَانَةً وَفِي الْقَضَاءِ طَلُقَتْ ثَلَاثًا كَذَا فِي فَتَاوَى قَاضِي خَانْ

مَتَى كَرَّرَ لَفْظَ الطَّلَاقِ بِحَرْفِ الْوَاوِ أَوْ بِغَيْرِ حَرْفِ الْوَاوِ يَتَعَدَّدُ الطَّلَاقُ وَإِنْ عَنَى بِالثَّانِي الْأَوَّلَ لَمْ يُصَدَّقْ فِي الْقَضَاءِ

Al-Fataawa Al-Hindiyyah (Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.1 p.355-356

 

وَالْمُسْتَحَبُّ أَنْ يُرَاجِعَهَا بِالْقَوْلِ فَافْهَمْ (قَوْلُهُ: بِكُلِّ مَا يُوجِبُ حُرْمَةَ الْمُصَاهَرَةِ) بَدَلٌ مِنْ ” الْفِعْلِ ” بَدَلُ بَعْضٍ مِنْ كُلٍّ ح أَيْ لِأَنَّ مِنْ الْفِعْلِ مَا لَا يُوجِبُ حُرْمَةَ الْمُصَاهَرَةِ كَالتَّزَوُّجِ وَالْوَطْءِ فِي الدُّبُرِ وَلِذَا عَطَفَهَا الْمُصَنِّفُ عَلَى قَوْلِهِ بِكُلِّ، فَلَيْسَ مُرَادُهُ الْحَصْرَ بِمَا يُوجِبُ حُرْمَةَ الْمُصَاهَرَةِ فَافْهَمْ، وَبِاعْتِبَارِ هَذَا الْعَطْفِ يَصِحُّ كَوْنُهُ بَدَلَ مُفَصَّلٍ مِنْ مُجْمَلٍ

Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.3 p.339

 

قَوْلُهُ وَمَحَلُّهُ الْمَنْكُوحَةُ) أَيْ وَلَوْ مُعْتَدَّةً عَنْ طَلَاقٍ رَجْعِيٍّ أَوْ بَائِنٍ غَيْرِ ثَلَاثٍ فِي حُرَّةٍ

Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.3 p.230

 

 

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.

Written by Alimah Humairah Badshah

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham