Which of the two fatwas should we act upon regarding the pronouncement of divorce with the phrase "مع السلامة" (ma'a as-salama - goodbye): Fatwa no. 58472, which denied that anything results from it, or Fatwa no. 72334, which ruled that divorce is effected by it if intended?

The apparent contradiction between the two fatwas is due to two factors: First, consideration of the questioners' circumstances. A person afflicted with obsessive doubts (waswas) is overwhelmed in his intention. Given the low probability of intending divorce with the phrase "ma'a al-salama" (goodbye) in the context of his speech, no divorce occurred. Second, the context of the statement. The phrase "ma'a al-salama" is an implicit (kinayah) expression that could mean divorce or something else. Divorce occurs with it if the questioner, who is not afflicted with obsessive doubts, intended it, especially if he used it in a context that indicates an intention to divorce with it.