Fatwa ID: 09355
Answered by Mufti Yusuf Badshah
Question:
What do the Muftis of Islam say regarding this issue: A person said about his wife, ‘I keep divorcing her.’ In reality, this person had never given a divorce before, and he said this purely as a lie, while at that time, he also had no intention or desire to give a divorce. Does the mere utterance of this false sentence ‘I keep divorcing her’ legally effect a divorce? Will this lie have any effect on the marriage of the husband and wife? Please provide an answer in the light of the Quran and Sunnah.
If the matter does not go to court, what is the status in the eyes of Allah?
In the eyes of Allah, does the marriage remain valid if no actual divorce was ever intended or previously given?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
All answers are given in light of the Qur’an and Sunnah in accordance with Hanafi Fiqh.
Since the phrase “I keep divorcing her” is not an explicit issuance of Talaq, this will not count as a divorce if you did not intend it as such [1]. However, while one’s marriage itself may be unaffected, to tell such lies is both sinful and abhorrent [2]. Whether one is lying intentionally or speaking in jest, they should be ashamed of the lies they have told, seek the forgiveness of Allah s.w.t, and make a firm intention to never repeat such lies again.
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Mufti Yusuf Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
Raddul Muhtar, vol. 3, pg. 296-297, Darul Fikr:
بَابُ الْكِنَايَاتِ (كِنَايَتُهُ) عِنْدَ الْفُقَهَاءِ (مَا لَمْ يُوضَعْ لَهُ) أَيْ الطَّلَاقِ (وَاحْتَمَلَهُ) وَغَيْرَهُ (فَ) الْكِنَايَاتُ (لَا تَطْلُقُ بِهَا) قَضَاءً (إلَّا بِنِيَّةٍ أَوْ دَلَالَةِ الْحَالِ) وَهِيَ حَالَةُ مُذَاكَرَةِ الطَّلَاقِ أَوْ الْغَضَبِ
[2]
Sahih Al-Bukhari 6094, sunnah.com:
حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ إِنَّ الصِّدْقَ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْبِرِّ، وَإِنَّ الْبِرَّ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ، وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَصْدُقُ حَتَّى يَكُونَ صِدِّيقًا، وَإِنَّ الْكَذِبَ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْفُجُورِ، وَإِنَّ الْفُجُورَ يَهْدِي إِلَى النَّارِ، وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَكْذِبُ، حَتَّى يُكْتَبَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ كَذَّابًا ”