What is the ruling on a husband saying to his wife: "Either I build you a house, and that is impossible, or I make you live in luxury, and even if I do that, a time will come when you will say no, and there is a third solution, which is the closest, I will find a way out, what shall we tell your family, and you just return to your home?" Does this count as an option for divorce? And does the wife's reply, "Okay, I will find a way out, and I will end the matter," constitute a divorce? And what is the ruling on his statement: "It doesn't matter who ends the matter, you or I, I also won't forget the favor between us"? And must the wife ask him about his intention behind everything he said, and is she sinful if she doesn't, and would her living with him be unlawful?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The divorce does not take effect with the husband's words: "Your أمر (affair/matter) is in your hand" or "Serve yourself" if he did not intend divorce, or did not intend to give the choice of divorce, because these phrases are from the allusions (kinayat) which require intention. The wife is not obligated to ask the husband about his intention, because he knows his intention best.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/131833
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 131833
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- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy