Back to search

Is the wife’s mother sinful for searching for potential husbands for her daughter and receiving suitors while her daughter is observing her 'iddah following a revocable divorce, and what is the husband’s duty towards them? Is it permissible to speak with the wife over the phone for the purpose of taking her back?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If the divorce is revocable and the wife is still in her waiting period ('iddah), the husband may take her back without needing her consent or the consent of her family, based on the Almighty's saying: "And their husbands have a greater right to take them back."

The return can be effected by word or deed, accompanied by intention.

The sin of the wife and her mother is established for exposing the revocably divorced woman to a proposal, as she is still considered like a wife.

The wife must obey her husband in returning to his home, and her mother must cease inciting discord between the spouses.

If the wife's interactions with men are a lapse that can be corrected, then it is better to take her back. However, if it has become a habit from which falling into indecency is feared, then it is better to separate from her.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy