What is your eminence's opinion on the ruling concerning a husband who said to his wife: "You are forbidden to me until the Day of Judgment"? Is this considered ẓihār requiring the kaffārat al-ẓihār (expiation for ẓihār), or is it a prohibition requiring only the kaffārat yamīn (expiation for an oath), and why did the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, not inquire about the husband's intention in the incident of ẓihār?

Explicit ẓihār, such as a man saying to his wife, "You are to me as the back of my mother," constitutes ẓihār by consensus, and the husband's intention is not questioned. As for non-explicit phrases, such as a man saying to his wife, "You are forbidden to me until the Day of Judgment," scholars have differed on their ruling. Some believe it is ẓihār if the husband intended ẓihār. Others believe it is an expiable oath. Still others believe it is not ẓihār if the husband did not intend ẓihār, and this is the favored opinion, because prohibition can vary and is not explicit in ẓihār.