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Is a wife considered divorced if she leaves her husband's house despite his telling her: "If you leave the house, you are divorced"? And what must be done if the divorce occurs?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The marital relationship should be based on good companionship and avoiding anger. A husband's statement to his wife, "If you leave the house, then you are divorced," is a conditional divorce (talaq mu'allaq). According to the majority of scholars, it takes effect if she leaves, even if it was intended as a threat. The ruling on a conditional divorce depends on the husband's intention: if he intended to prevent her from leaving at a specific time or with a specific person, the divorce occurs only if she leaves in that particular circumstance. However, if he intended to prevent her from leaving absolutely, the divorce occurs if she leaves at any time or with anyone. The husband can take his wife back if the divorce is revocable and she is still within her 'iddah (waiting period). The words of divorce should not be used as a threat; rather, disputes should be resolved through legitimate methods and good words.

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

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