Back to search
The question

What is the ruling regarding a husband telling his wife: "You are divorced a thousand times" or "a hundred times"; is this considered a single divorce or three divorces if he did not intend three, and what is the ruling if he did intend it?

Share this answer

Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

Whoever says to his wife: "You are divorced a thousand divorces or a hundred divorces," whether intending three or not, the majority of scholars hold that three divorces occur, and his wife becomes irrevocably divorced from him. This is because he explicitly qualified the clear divorce with an explicit number, and this number is what he legally possesses [the right to issue].

This is supported by narrations from Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who clarified that three divorces make her irrevocably divorced from him, and anything beyond that is an aggression, emphasizing that intention is not considered when a specific number is declared.

Some scholars, however, are of the opinion that only one divorce occurs in this case, citing the of Ibn Abbas that a triple divorce was considered as one during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Abu Bakr, and for two years of Umar's caliphate.

One should be wary of trifling with rulings. Issuing divorces in large numbers without genuine intent is playing with the verses of Allah. If one who pronounces three divorces at once is considered to be playing with the Book of Allah, then what about one who pronounces a thousand or a hundred!

It is advisable to refer such matters to the Sharia courts for resolution.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported

Read the full answer on Ftawy
Where this answer came from
Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
54794
Imported
Translation status
Source text, unreviewed
Read the full ruling
Read the full answer on Ftawy