What is the ruling on breaking an oath of triple divorce against one's wife if she does not go to a wedding, and does the divorce occur?
The majority of scholars hold that a conditional divorce takes effect when the condition it is tied to occurs. Based on this, if the wife does not attend the aforementioned party, the divorce does not occur. However, if she does attend, then according to the majority, a triple divorce takes place, and she becomes unlawful to her husband until she marries another man. If the oath was restricted to a specific wedding, or a specific duration, or if the reason for it ceased without any action, then the oath is not broken.
As for Ibn Taymiyyah, he holds that you owe an expiation for breaking an oath if you did not intend divorce but rather a threat. If you did intend divorce, then one revocable divorce occurs, and it can be revoked before the iddah (waiting period) expires, provided it does not complete the three divorces. He also was of the opinion that it is possible to retract the condition if the intention was divorce and not merely an oath.
What is given as a fatwa by us is the view of the majority regarding the occurrence of divorce upon breaking the oath, and regarding the impossibility of retracting the condition.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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