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What is the ruling regarding a husband telling his wife: "If you leave your father's house, you are divorced," knowing that she was at her father's house for a holiday? And does the divorce take effect if she leaves without his knowledge? And what are the consequences if he allows her to leave and then brings her back, taking into consideration that he was angry and intended to discipline her by his statement?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The question is unclear, but what you have done is to swear an oath by divorcing your wife that she will not leave her father's house, which is forbidden. If your anger was severe at the time of uttering the divorce and you did not comprehend what you were saying, then there is nothing upon you. However, if you comprehended what you were saying, then the only way out is for her not to leave; for if she leaves, the divorce occurs according to the majority of scholars. Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah holds that you are obligated to offer an expiation for an oath (kaffarat yamin) if you did not intend divorce. If you had a specific intention or reason for the oath and that reason is no longer present, then the oath is dissolved. In the event of divorce, you may take your wife back without the need for a guardian (wali), her consent, or her knowledge, provided that the return (raj'ah) is before the completion of her 'iddah (waiting period) and this divorce does not complete the three divorces.

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

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