Is the statement, "This is the last time, otherwise it's a divorce," said during ablution to prevent repeating it, considered a conditional divorce that causes a divorce to occur, or does it not cause a divorce to occur based on the view of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah that its intent is to prevent repeating it?
If it is merely an internal thought (hadith al-nafs) without uttering the divorce formula, then neither divorce nor expiation is entailed. If you utter it while overwhelmed in your mind due to obsessive thoughts (waswasa), divorce does not occur thereby either. However, if you utter it voluntarily and fully aware of what you are saying, then this is a conditional divorce, and divorce occurs when its condition is met, according to the majority of scholars. According to Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, divorce does not occur thereby as long as the purpose was to emphasize, and an expiation for breaking an oath (kaffarat yamin) becomes obligatory. The one afflicted with obsessive thoughts (mowaswas) may adopt the easiest opinions. Indulging in obsessive thoughts leads to evil, and ignoring them is the best remedy.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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