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Does divorce occur and the wife become forbidden to her husband if she has added and spoken to people online, given that the husband swore an oath of divorce upon her with the wording: "You are divorced from me and forbidden to me until the Day of Judgment if you speak to anyone online, or add anyone"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If a husband made a divorce and prohibition contingent upon his wife speaking to people online, without a specific intention or reason for the oath, and the wife then spoke to one or more individuals, the oath has been broken, and the ruling is as follows:

1. Divorce: Divorce occurs according to the majority of scholars, and this is the most preponderant view. Ibn Taymiyyah, however, held that an expiation for an oath (kaffarat yamin) is required if the husband did not intend divorce. 2. Prohibition (Tahrim): This depends on the intention of the one who swore the oath. If he intended divorce, then it is a divorce. If he intended zihar (a specific form of prohibition likened to declaring one's wife like one's mother's back), then it is zihar. If he intended an oath by Allah or had no specific intention, then an expiation for an oath is required. Since the husband is unsure of his intention, an expiation for an oath is binding upon him. 3. Resumption of Marital Relations (Raj'ah): In the event of divorce, the husband can take back his wife before the end of her waiting period (iddah), provided that this divorce does not complete the three divorces.

However, if the husband intended specific individuals or excluded others, his oath is particularized by his intention, and the breach of the oath does not occur unless the condition upon which it was made contingent is met according to the swearer's intention. If he had no specific intention, then the reason that prompted him to swear the oath should be considered, and his oath is restricted by it. It is advisable to consult scholars for further clarification due to the detailed nature of the issue.

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

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