What is the ruling regarding a man's statement to his wife: "By Allah, you are unlawful to me from now on," intending to threaten and not to divorce, and while in a state of extreme anger?
Scholars have differed on the issue of prohibiting one's wife (tahrim az-zawjah): Some are of the view that it constitutes a major irrevocable divorce (baynunah kubra), while others hold that it is equivalent to zhihar (a pre-Islamic form of divorce by likening one's wife to an unmarriageable female relative). Still others are of the view that it depends on the intention of the speaker: if he intended zhihar, then it is zhihar; if he intended divorce, then it is divorce; and if he intended an oath, then it is an oath. This last opinion is the closest to correctness. As for anger, if it reaches a point where the person does not comprehend what he is saying, then his prohibition is not considered valid. However, if it is normal anger, where he comprehends what he is saying, then he is held accountable for it.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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