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What is the ruling regarding a husband divorcing his wife with a single pronouncement after she uttered abusive words in a state of anger, knowing that she had not performed ghusl from janabah? And what is the expiation or what are the conditions that must be met?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Divorcing one's wife during her menstruation or during a period of purity in which he had intercourse with her is forbidden (haram). However, according to most scholars, such a divorce is valid, and this is the fatwa we adhere to. As for janabah (ritual impurity due to sexual activity), it has no effect on the validity of the divorce. Therefore, the divorce was valid when you said: "O so-and-so, you are divorced." If this was the first or second divorce, you may take your wife back before her 'iddah (waiting period, which is three menstrual cycles) expires, without the need for a new marriage contract or expiation. The 'iddah is concluded by word or by intercourse, so merely by saying: "I have taken my wife back," the return is effected.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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