Is the wife still under the husband's authority, or has she become his divorcee, despite the divorce proceedings not yet being complete, and the husband has not said to her, "You are divorced"?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Divorce is in the hands of the husband, and it does not occur unless he pronounces it or writes it with the intention of divorce. Divorce does not occur merely by the wife filing a lawsuit requesting it. A woman is not permitted to seek divorce except for a justifiable reason, and it is forbidden for her to leave the marital home except for a legitimate reason; the existence of problems alone is not sufficient justification for leaving. Efforts should be made to reconcile between the spouses, especially when there are children, as Allah Almighty says: "And reconciliation is better."
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/190269
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 190269
- 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