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Does a man's divorce of his wife count when he is in a difficult psychological state due to a disease contracted after polio, accompanied by an increase in brain chemicals, and can he take her back after having told her: "You are divorced from me" more than twice?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The default is for a man to divorce his wife during a period of purity in which he has not had intercourse with her, or while she is pregnant. However, Islamic law has excused divorce pronounced under duress (ighlaq), based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "There is no divorce and no emancipation under duress (ighlaq)." This includes the divorce of the mentally deficient, the insane, the intoxicated, the coerced, and the angry person who does not comprehend what he is saying, because each of these individuals has had the door of knowledge and intention closed to them. Divorce is valid only from one who intends it and is aware of its implications.

Therefore: If you uttered the divorce while being aware of it, knowing its consequences, and intending to separate from your wife, then it is a valid divorce. But if you uttered it unconsciously under the pressure of illness and distress, then it is not valid. If the divorce is valid, you may reconcile with your wife if she has not exited her iddah (waiting period), or you may contract a new marriage with her consent, provided this is the first or second divorce.

Pronouncing a triple divorce counts as a single divorce, according to the preponderant opinion. Similarly, if a man divorces and then divorces again before reconciling with his wife, it counts as a single divorce, whether pronounced in one session or separate sessions, because divorce is only valid after a marriage contract or a reconciliation.

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

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