Does a wife become divorced and an expiation become binding if a man says to himself, "Insha'Allah, I will not watch television after today, and if I do watch it, then my wife is divorced," with the intention of stopping himself, and then he watches it indirectly?

Intrusive thoughts are legally pardoned, and there is no accountability for them, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Indeed, Allah has forgiven my nation for what they think to themselves, as long as they do not speak of it or act upon it."

Therefore, if you did not utter the conditional divorce, neither divorce nor expiation is binding upon you. However, if you uttered it to yourself, it is considered a conditional divorce tied to watching television. If you watch it in the manner you intended, divorce occurs according to the majority of scholars, and this is the preponderant opinion.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: Expiation for breaking an oath becomes binding upon you if you did not intend divorce. If your intention was to watch television in a manner other than what you intended, then divorce is not binding upon you, because an oath is based on the intention of the one swearing it.

It must be noted that watching television is forbidden if it includes anything unlawful to look at, and its expiation is repentance to Allah Almighty and frequent seeking of forgiveness.