Does a wife get divorced by her husband's statement to her: "You are divorced three times if they don't bring the apartment tomorrow," with the apartment not being brought the following day?
The majority of scholars hold that a conditional divorce takes effect if the condition it was contingent upon occurs, and this is the fatwa given. So, if the partners did not buy the apartment the next day, then a divorce has occurred for your wife. If you repeated the word of divorce and intended to issue three divorces, then all of them have occurred. However, if you intended emphasis and did not intend to issue three divorces, then only one divorce has occurred, and you may take your wife back as long as she has not completed three divorces and before the expiration of her waiting period (iddah).
Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah is of the view that a conditional divorce does not take effect if it was intended for threat, prevention, or encouragement, and it can be expiated with an oath expiation (kaffarat yamin). So, if you did not intend to issue a divorce but rather intended to encourage the partners, then no divorce has occurred and you owe an oath expiation. However, if you intended to issue a divorce, then one divorce has occurred.
It is advisable to present the matter to a Sharia court or trusted scholars, and to avoid using words of divorce for threatening or similar purposes.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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