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Does a divorce that took place during menstruation, without the knowledge of the one who pronounced the divorce, count, knowing that he had previously divorced the woman with a mobile phone message that he wrote twice at the same time, then followed it with a third message, but the divorce certificate only proved one divorce? And has she become irrevocably divorced after completing her waiting period?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The majority of scholars hold that divorce issued during menstruation is valid. For a divorce to be effective, it is not a condition that the wife be aware of it; rather, it becomes effective as soon as it is uttered by the husband. The wife's waiting period (iddah) begins from the moment the divorce is issued, provided the husband establishes proof of it.

If your waiting period concludes after your husband's divorce, you are irrevocably separated from him. He cannot take you back except through a new marriage contract. If he has completed three divorces (talaqat), he cannot take you back unless you marry another man willingly, he consummates the marriage with you, and then divorces you or dies, and your waiting period from him ends.

Regarding a husband writing down an explicit divorce, there is a difference of opinion on its ruling: whether it is like an explicit verbal utterance that does not require intention, or if it is a metaphorical expression (kinayah) that does require intention.

If a dispute arises between the two of you regarding the occurrence of the divorce or its number, refer the matter to the Sharia court for a ruling.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy