Divorce (Kitab Al-Talaq)

كتاب الطلاق

Chapter 1: Regarding Someone Who Ruins A Wife For Her Husband

Narrated AbuHurayrah

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Anyone who incites a woman against her husband or a slave against his master is not one of us.

Chapter 2: Regarding A Woman Who Asks Her Husband To Divorce Another Wife Of His

Abu Hurairah reported the Apostle of Allaah(ﷺ) as saying “A woman should not ask for the divorce of her sister to make her bowl vacant for her and to marry him. She will have what is decreed for her.”

Chapter 3: Regarding The Disliked Nature Of Divorce

Narrated Muharib

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Allah did not make anything lawful more abominable to Him than divorce.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Of all the lawful acts the most detestable to Allah is divorce.

Chapter 4: Regarding The Divorce According To The Sunnah

‘Abd Allah bin Umar said that he divorced his wife while she was menstruating during the time of the Apostle of Allaah(ﷺ). So ‘Umar bin Al Khattab asked the Apostle of Allaah(ﷺ) about this matter. The Apostle of Allaah(ﷺ) said “Order him, he must take her back and keep her back till she is purified, then has another menstrual period and is purified. Thereafter if he desires he may divorce her before having intercourse with her, for that is the period of waiting which Allaah the Glorified has commanded for the divorce of women.”

The aforesaid tradition has also been transmitted by Nafi’ through a different chain of narrators. This version says Ibn ‘Umar divorced a wife of his while she was menstruating pronouncing one divorce. He then narrated the rest of the tradition similar to the one narrated by Malik.

Ibn ‘Umar said that he divorced his wife while she was menstruating. ‘Umar mentioned the matter to the Prophet(ﷺ). He (the Prophet) said “Order him, he must take her back and divorce her when she is purified (from menstrual discharge) or she is pregnant.”

‘Abd Allah (bin Umar) said that he divorced his wife while she was menstruating. ‘Umar mentioned the matter to the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ). The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) became angry and said “Command him, he must take her back and keep her back till she is purified, then has another menstrual period and is purified. Then if he desires he may divorce her during the period of purity before he has intercourse with her. This is the divorce for waiting period as commanded by Allaah, the Exalted.

Yunus bin Jubair said that he asked Ibn ‘Umar “How many times did you pronounce divorce to your wife? He replied, once.”

Yunus bin Jubair said “I asked ‘Abd Allah bin ‘Umar “A man divorced his wife while she was menstruating? He said do you know ‘Abd Allah bin ‘Umar? He said, yes. ‘Abd Allah bin ‘Umar divorced his wife while she was menstruating. So, ‘Umar came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and asked him (about this matter). He said Command him to take her back in marriage he may the divorce her in the beginning of the waiting period. I (Ibn Jubair) asked him “Will this divorce be counted? He said “Why not?” If he was helpless and showed his foolishness (that would have been counted).

Abdur Rahman ibn Ayman, the client of Urwah, asked Ibn Umar and Abu al-Zubayr was was listening

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by Yunus b. Jubair, Anas b. Sirin b. Jubair, Zaid b. Aslam, Abu al-Zubair and Mansur from Abu Wa'il on the authority of Ibn 'Umar. They all agreed on the theme that the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded him to take her back (and keep her) till she was purified. Then if he desired, he might divorce her or keep her with him if he wanted to do so. The version narrated by al-Zuhri from Salim from Nafi' on the authority of Ibn 'Umar has: The Prophet (ﷺ) commanded him to take her back (and keep her) till she is purified, and then has menstrual discharge, and then she is purified. Then if he desires, he may divorce her and if he desires he may keep her.

Abu Dawud said: A version like that of Nafi' and al-Zuhri has also been transmitted by 'Ata al-Khurasani from al-Hasan on the authority of Ibn 'Umar. All the versions of this tradition contradict the one narrated by Abu al-Zubair.

Chapter 5: A Man Takes His Wife Back Without Any Witnesses

Narrated Mutarrif ibn Abdullah

Imran ibn Husayn was asked about a person who divorces his wife, and then has intercourse with her, but he does not call any witness to her divorce nor to her restoration. He said: You divorced against the sunnah and took her back against the sunnah. Call someone to bear witness to her divorce, and to her return in marriage, and do not repeat it.

Chapter 6: Regarding The Sunnah For Divorcing Slaves

Narrated Umar ibn Mu'tab

Abu Hasan, a client of Banu Nawfal asked Ibn Abbas: A slave had a wife who was a slave-girl. He divorced her by two pronouncements. Afterwards both of them were freed. Is it permissible for him to ask her in marriage again? He said: Yes. This is a decision given by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

The aforesaid tradition (No. 2182) has also been transmitted by Ali (ibn al-Mubarak) through a different chain of narrators to the same effect. This version adds

Abu Dawud said: I heard Ahmad b. Hanbal say: 'Abd al-Razzaq said that Ibn al-Mubarak said to Ma'mar: Who is this Abu al-Hasan ? He bore a big rock.

Abu Dawud said: Al-Zuhri has narrated (traditions) on the authority of this Abu al-Hasan. Al-Zuhri said: He was lawyer, and al-Zuhri narrated many traditions from Abu al-Hasan.

Abu Dawud said: Abu al-Hasan is well known narrator. This tradition is not practiced.

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The divorce of a slave-woman consists in saying it twice and her waiting period is two menstrual courses (qur') AbuAsim said: A similar tradition has been narrated to me by Muzahir and al-Qasim on the authority of Aisha from the Prophet (ﷺ), except that he said: And her waiting period ('iddah) is two courses.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition is obscure.

Chapter 7: Regarding A Divorce Before The Marriage

'Amr b. Shu'aib on his father's authority said that his grandfather (Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As)

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: There is no divorce except in what you possess; there is no possession, there is no sale transaction till you possess. The narrator Ibn as-Sabbah added: There is no fulfilling a vow till you possess.

The above tradition has also been transmitted by ‘Amr bin Shu’aib through a different chain of narrators to the same effect. This version adds “If anyone swears an oath to do an act of disobedience to GOD, his oath is not valid, and if anyone swears an oath to sever relationship, his oath is not valid(i.e., he must not fulfill it)

The above tradition has also been transmitted by ‘Amr bin Shu’aib through a different chain of narrators. This version adds The Prophet (ﷺ) said “There is no vow except in an act which seeks the pleasure of Allah, the Exalted.

Chapter 8: Regarding Divorcing By Mistake

Muhammad ibn Ubayd ibn Abu Salih who lived in Ayliya said

Abu Dawud said: I think ghalaq means anger.