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Does divorce occur if one imagines a problem with his wife and imagines divorcing her, without remembering uttering the explicit words [of divorce]?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Divorce does not occur through inner thoughts, because they are forgiven for this nation, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Indeed, Allah has forgiven my nation for whatever thoughts they have, as long as they do not speak of it or act upon it." And doubt about uttering the explicit divorce pronouncement does not cause divorce to occur, because the original state is the continuation of the marital bond between the spouses, and it is not dissolved except with certainty. It appears that the questioner is suffering from obsessive thoughts, so he should turn away from them and frequently seek refuge [with Allah], engage in remembrance [dhikr], and recite the Quran.

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

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