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Does divorce occur by the intention of divorce when writing "May Allah help you" or "May Allah help you (feminine)"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If a man writes to his wife "May Allah help you" or similar phrases, and he intends divorce by it, then it constitutes a divorce; because the phrase can signify separation, and it is considered a kinaya (allusive expression). Hanbali jurists have explicitly stated that subtle kinaya expressions like "May Allah enrich you" lead to divorce if the husband intends it. The Malikis hold that divorce occurs with any phrase by which the husband intends divorce, even if it is far-fetched, such as "Give me water to drink."

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

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