Does divorce take place for someone afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder if he utters allusions to divorce and intention is present, and what is the ruling on the Sheikh's fatwa which states that divorce does not take place, and is he absolved of responsibility thereby?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The divorce of a person afflicted by waswasah (obsessive whispering) is not effective if he is overcome by his mind due to the waswasah, whether he uttered explicit words of divorce or an allusion to it, and whether he intended it or not. However, if he was in full control and aware of what he was saying, then his divorce is effective. A person afflicted by waswasah may imagine that he divorced by his own choice, while in reality, he divorced due to the waswasah. He must act upon the of the scholars if they rule that his divorce did not occur.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 167117
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy