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Is it permissible to divorce one's wife civilly in court by signing the divorce papers without the intention of divorcing her, while she remains his wife Islamically and legally, and is this considered one of the three revocable divorces?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Firstly: Signing the divorce document in court is considered a divorce.

Secondly: To resolve marital problems, a calm discussion between the spouses should be sought. If this is not possible, sensible relatives can be brought in to reconcile viewpoints. The Holy Qur'an has clarified how to deal with discord between spouses. If the wife is at fault, it begins with admonition, then abstention (from conjugal relations), then non-violent striking. If the discord persists, two arbitrators, one from his family and one from her family, should be sent, as Allah Almighty says: (And if you fear dissension between the two, send an arbitrator from his people and an arbitrator from her people. If they both desire reconciliation, Allah will cause reconciliation between them.) If reconciliation and agreement are not possible after many attempts, then divorce with kindness is the last resort, as Allah Almighty says: (Then [it is] retention with kindness or release with good treatment.) And if they separate, Allah will enrich each of them from His abundance.

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

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