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Is it permissible to return to a wife after divorcing her three times: the first conditionally with a condition that was not met, the second in absentia and documented, and the third through khul‘?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

We advise referring to the competent authorities or the Dar al-Ifta (Fatwa Council). Some general rulings related to divorce are: 1. If the husband says to his wife: "If you do not do such-and-such, you are divorced," divorce occurs according to the majority of scholars if the condition is met. However, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah held that an expiation for breaking an oath is due if the husband did not intend divorce. 2. For an absent divorce (talaq al-gha'ibi) to occur, it is not a condition for the wife to hear or know about it. Rather, it occurs simply by being issued by the husband, and its documentation confirms its occurrence. 3. Scholars differed on whether khul' (divorce at the wife's instance, usually for compensation) is a divorce or a فسخ (annulment of marriage). The majority considers it a definitive divorce that counts towards the three divorces, while some scholars held it to be an annulment and thus does not count.

The husband should not hasten to utter the word of divorce; instead, he should strive to resolve problems with wisdom.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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