Is the husband's saying to his wife, "You are to me like my mother and my sister," considered a divorce or a ẓihār that necessitates expiation? And what is the expiation for ẓihār?

If a man says to his wife: "You are to me like my mother," this phrase is not considered a divorce but rather one of the expressions of dhikr (injurious assimilation). Its ruling depends on the husband's intention and the surrounding circumstances. If the husband intended dhikr by this comparison, meaning she is forbidden to him like his mother, or if a circumstance like anger indicated the intention of dhikr, then it is dhikr. However, if he intended honor and love, or if it was merely a comparison in description, then it is not considered dhikr and nothing is entailed by it, and his word regarding his intention is accepted. Dhikr is forbidden, and whoever commits dhikr must repent. An expiation is obligatory upon the husband who commits dhikr before having sexual intercourse with his wife, which is freeing a slave. If he cannot find one, then fasting for two consecutive months. If he is unable to do that, then feeding sixty poor people.