Back to search

What is the ruling on uttering the word of divorce as part of treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder, and does that affect the validity of the marriage?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Divorce pronounced under the influence of obsessive thoughts (waswasa) and magic (sihr) does not take effect because the speaker does not intend it, but rather is compelled to utter it. This is based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "No divorce and no emancipation in a state of 'ighlaq' (compulsion/closure of mind)." 'Ighlaq' includes duress, mental occlusion, and lack of intention. This applies to someone suffering from obsessive thoughts or magic. If a person, whose mind is distressed due to magic and obsessive thoughts, utters a divorce, their divorce does not take effect. However, deliberately uttering the word of divorce as a form of treatment for obsessive thoughts is fundamentally prohibited, and other means should be sought. If this particular method becomes the only recourse and no other alternative is available, then there is no harm in saying: "You are divorced from a bond," or saying: "You are divorced," intending that she is divorced from a bond or a tie. This linguistic addition prevents the divorce from taking effect, as does adding it by intention.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy