Are the repeated instances of divorce by the addicted, non-praying husband valid, given that the wife has filed a lawsuit against him? And is she entitled to marry a committed suitor after her waiting period has expired?

As long as the matter is before the judge, there is no discussion about it, for the Shar'i judge is the ultimate authority. Generally, it can be said that:

1. Uttering the three divorces in a single pronouncement is an innovated (bid'i) and forbidden form of divorce. It counts as three divorces according to the majority of scholars, and as one according to some.

2. Most jurists hold that the divorce pronounced by an intoxicated person is valid, while some are of the view that it is not valid if he does not comprehend what he is saying.

3. The husband is required to treat his wife kindly, and beating her, humiliating her, and threatening her with divorce contravenes this.

4. Abandoning prayer, using drugs, and sodomy are major sins, and a woman should not accept a man who commits these transgressions.

5. A woman is under the protection of her husband; it is not permissible for her to marry another man until her husband divorces her, or the judge annuls her marriage, and her waiting period (iddah) expires.