Wording of divorce and Iddah

Question

The husband divorced his wife thereafter she left and went to her parents’ house to spend her Iddah. The husband became upset of his wife leaving the house and said to her “if you don’t come home today you are divorced”. Does a second divorce occur is she doesn’t go home before the end of the day?

Answer

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The woman must observe Iddah in her matrimonial house (i.e. the house where she was residing with her husband at the time of the divorce. If the divorce was a revocable divorce, the marriage is still intact and thus is obliged to obey her husband if he calls her back home (unless there’s a legitimate reason).

If the divorce was irrevocable, the Iddah must still be observed in the matrimonial house also, unless, the woman fears for her life, wellbeing or belongings, allowance is given to her to observe Iddah elsewhere.

If the husband pronounces another divorce on his wife during the Iddah a revocable divorce (talaq Raj’ee), it will occur. However, the duration of the iddah will not increase, rather it will continue from the first divorce.

According to the Hanafi Jurists, this is also the case, if the man were to pronounce a clear explicit divorce on his ex-wife during her Iddah of an irrevocable divorce.

In your query, you’ve stated that the husband said to his divorced wife “if you don’t come home today you are divorced”, this is a clear and explicit conditional divorce. Thus, if the condition is met the divorce will occur. The Prophet ﷺ said: If a Mukhtaliah’ i.e., a woman whom Khula’ was contracted, (which results in an irrevocable divorce), were to be given a (another) explicit divorce, it will occur, as long as she is in her Iddah [Sunan ibn Mansoor][1]. Furthermore, despite the marriage being terminated, the woman is still under the confinements of the ex-husband (in that she is not allowed to leave the matrimonial house etc.). This being the case, she is still subjected to and eligible for divorce.

Therefore, if the entire day were to pass and she does not return to the house of the husband, a divorce will occur (whether the Iddah was due to a revocable or irrevocable divorce).

Nb: The husband possesses three divorces over his wife for the entire duration of the marriage (including the Iddah period). Once issued, it goes recorded and is not erased or cancelled with the passing of time, revocation or by reconciliation.

Thus, in the above scenario, if the divorce issued in the Iddah was the second, the husband will have one divorce remaining. In the case of Iddah due to an irrevocable divorce, if the ex-husband re-marries her, he will only have one divorce remaining. If, however, it was the third, it will result in an absolute irrevocable divorce which will permanently terminate the Nikah without the possibility of re-marrying.[2]

And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best

Mufti Kaleem Muhammad

Darul Iftaa, Jaamia Madinatul Uloom

Marabella Trinidad

www.fatwa-tt.com /www.jaamia.net

[1] حَدَّثَنَا فَرَجُ بْنُ فَضَالَةَ ، حَدَّثَنِي عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَوْنٍ الْأَعْوَرِ ، عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ ، قَالَ : الْمُخْتَلِعَةُ يَلْحَقُهَا الطَّلَاقُ مَا دَامَتْ فِي الْعِدَّةِ . حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ عَيَّاشٍ ، عَنِ الْعَلَاءِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ ، يَرْفَعُ الْحَدِيثَ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ هـ سنن سعيد بن منصور كتاب الطلاق حديث رقم 1401

الأصل للشيباني ط قطر (4/ 551)

وإذا طلق الرجل امرأته بعد الخلع فإنه يقع عليها الطلاق ما كانت في العدة (10). بلغنا عن إبراهيم النخعي والشعبي قالا: المختلعة يلحقها الطلاق ما كانت في العدة ولو قال خلعتك بائنة، ينوي بذلك الطلاق لم يقع عليها شيء؛ لأنها قد بانت قبل ذلك بالخلع الأول

بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع (3/ 134)

وَعَلَى هَذَا الْأَصْلِ يُخَرَّجُ الطَّلَاقُ فِي الْعِدَّةِ الْكَلَامِ فِيهِ: أَنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ لَا تَخْلُو إمَّا أَنْ كَانَتْ مُعْتَدَّةً مِنْ طَلَاقٍ رَجْعِيٍّ أَوْ بَائِنٍ أَوْ خُلْعٍ فَإِنْ كَانَتْ مُعْتَدَّةً مِنْ طَلَاقٍ رَجْعِيٍّ يَقَعُ الطَّلَاقُ عَلَيْهَا، سَوَاءٌ كَانَ صَرِيحًا أَوْ كِنَايَةً لِقِيَامِ الْمِلْكِ مِنْ كُلِّ وَجْهٍ لِأَنَّ الطَّلَاقَ الرَّجْعِيَّ لَا يُزِيلُ الْمِلْكَ، وَلِهَذَا يَصِحُّ ظِهَارُهُ وَإِيلَاؤُهُ وَيَثْبُتُ اللِّعَانُ بَيْنَهُمَا وَهَذِهِ الْأَحْكَامُ لَا تَصِحُّ إلَّا فِي الْمِلْكِ.

وَإِنْ كَانَتْ مُعْتَدَّةً مِنْ طَلَاقٍ بَائِنٍ أَوْ خُلْعٍ وَهِيَ الْمُبَانَةُ أَوْ الْمُخْتَلِعَةُ فَيَلْحَقُهَا صَرِيحُ الطَّلَاقِ عِنْدَ أَصْحَابِنَا.

وَقَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ: لَا يَلْحَقُهَا.

وَجْهُ قَوْلِهِ: أَنَّ الطَّلَاقَ تَصَرُّفٌ فِي الْمِلْكِ بِالْإِزَالَةِ، وَالْمِلْكُ قَدْ زَالَ بِالْخُلْعِ وَالْإِبَانَةِ، وَإِزَالَةُ الزَّائِلِ مُحَالٌ وَلِهَذَا لَمْ يَصِحَّ الْخُلْعُ وَالْإِبَانَةُ

وَلَنَا مَا رُوِيَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «الْمُخْتَلِعَةُ يَلْحَقُهَا صَرِيحُ الطَّلَاقِ مَا دَامَتْ فِي الْعِدَّةِ» ؛ وَهَذَا نَصٌّ فِي الْبَابِ وَلِأَنَّهَا بِالْخُلْعِ وَالْإِبَانَةِ لَمْ تَخْرُجْ مِنْ أَنْ تَكُونَ مَحِلًّا لِلطَّلَاقِ؛ لِأَنَّ حُكْمَ الطَّلَاقِ إنْ كَانَ مَا يُنْبِئُ عَنْهُ اللَّفْظُ لُغَةً – وَهُوَ الِانْطِلَاقُ وَالتَّخَلِّي وَزَوَالُ الْقَيْدِ – فَهِيَ مَحِلٌّ لِذَلِكَ لِأَنَّهَا مُقَيَّدَةٌ فِي حَالِ الْعِدَّةِ لِأَنَّهَا مَمْنُوعَةٌ عَنْ الْخُرُوجِ وَالْبُرُوزِ وَالتَّزَوُّجِ بِزَوْجٍ آخَرَ، وَالْقَيْدُ هُوَ الْمَنْعُ وَإِنْ كَانَ مَا لَا يُنْبِئُ عَنْهُ اللَّفْظُ لُغَةً – وَهُوَ زَوَالُ حِلِّ الْمَحَلِّيَّةِ شَرْعًا – فَحِلُّ الْمَحَلِّيَّةِ قَائِمٌ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَزُولُ إلَّا بِالطَّلَقَاتِ الثَّلَاثِ وَلَمْ تُوجَدْ فَكَانَتْ الْمُبَانَةُ وَالْمُخْتَلِعَةُ مَحِلَّيْنِ لِلطَّلَاقِ وَبِهِ تَبَيَّنَ أَنَّ قَوْلَهُ: – الطَّلَاقُ تَصَرُّفٌ فِي الْمِلْكِ بِالْإِزَالَةِ – غَيْرُ سَدِيدٍ؛ لِأَنَّ زَوَالَ الْمِلْكِ لَا يُنْبِئُ عَنْهُ اللَّفْظُ لُغَةً وَلَا يَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ شَرْعًا أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّ الطَّلَاقَ الرَّجْعِيَّ وَاقِعٌ

[2] Except if she marries another, consummates the marries, thereafter she gets divorced by her second husband or he dies, then re-marries her first husband after the completion of her iddah. This process is called Halaalah. Nb: Halalah is a natural process whereby a woman after being divorced thrice and after observing her iddah (waiting period) marries another man. Thereafter, the second husband on his own accord divorces her after having sexual intercourse with her or dies. The woman thereafter having observed the iddah, remarries her first husband.