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Does zihar occur if one utters it without intention, i.e., due to a whisper (waswasah)?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If a person reaches an extreme degree of obsessive whispering (waswasah) such that they utter something they do not intend, then neither divorce nor ẓihār (a pre-Islamic form of divorce by likening one's wife to an unmarriageable relative) is binding upon them. This is because they are in the position of one who is insane, whose actions are not legally enforceable. The فقهاء (jurists) have stated that an obsessive person is not bound by divorce, and that what emanates from them is from Satan, and thus should be ignored.

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

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