What is the legal ruling regarding a husband's statement to his wife, "You are free" or "You're free," without intending or1 having the intention of divorce, but rather as a threat or out of anger, knowing that this is one of the ambiguous divorce pronouncements? --- 1The conjunction "or" is used here to translate "أو" which indicates an alternative or a clarification in Arabic. In this context, "without intending or having the intention" emphasizes the absence of deliberate purpose.
A man's statement to his wife, "You are free," is a euphemism for divorce (kinayah), and its ruling is that if it is accompanied by the intention of divorce, it constitutes a divorce; otherwise, it does not. So, if a man says to his wife, "You are free," without the intention of divorce, it is not considered a divorce. However, if he intended divorce with the aforementioned phrase, then it is definitively a divorce.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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