Does a woman observe the waiting period (iddah) after apostatizing from Islam and requesting divorce, or is the marriage contract annulled due to apostasy without the need for divorce?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The statement "I do not want Islam" is an act of apostasy that expels its utterer from Islam. If one of the spouses apostatizes, the marriage contract () is suspended until the ' (waiting period) ends. If the apostate returns to Islam during the 'iddah, a divorce occurs. Otherwise, the marriage contract is annulled. The repentance of an apostate is by uttering the two testimonies of faith (Shahadatayn). If their apostasy was due to denying an obligatory tenet, then repentance is by uttering the two testimonies of faith along with affirming what they denied.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/128273
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 128273
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- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Read the full answer on Ftawy