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Does a triple divorce take effect on the wife if she leaves the house after her husband swore an oath of triple divorce upon her should she leave without his permission?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The majority of scholars and the four madhhabs hold the view that a conditional divorce takes effect upon the fulfillment of the condition, and this is the preponderant opinion.

So, if a husband swears that his wife is divorced if she leaves without his permission, and she does leave, then a triple divorce occurs, and the wife becomes irrevocably separated from him. She is not permissible for him until she marries another husband in a sincere marriage, not one intended to make her lawful for her previous husband. Her leaving without the husband's prevention does not prevent the oath from being broken.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said that an expiation for breaking an oath is incumbent upon you if you did not intend divorce. However, if you did intend divorce, then a single divorce takes effect. In this case, you may take your wife back before the completion of her iddah, provided this divorce does not complete the triple divorce.

Furthermore, it is not permissible for the wife to leave without her husband's permission, except for a legitimate Shar'i excuse. If she leaves without an excuse, she is sinful and disobedient (nashiz), and her right to financial support is forfeited.

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

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