11th October 2017
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
Question: What is the ruling if a man divorces his wife due to the effect of black magic or epilepsy?
الجواب حامداً و مصلياً
In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer
In the Shari’ah, Talāq takes into effect if the husband pronounced it while he was mentally stable. This means that he was fully conscious of his surroundings and knew exactly what he was uttering at the time irrespective of whether he was angry or not. In order to determine the effectiveness of divorce, we must resort to the rules of junoon (mentally insane). The Fuqaha describe junoon as the seizure of the faculty of aql (rationale) whereby one is unable to distinguish between right from wrong and starts to behave abnormally. Junoon occurs either due to a natural calamity that struck him removing his mind from its stability state or the overpowering of a Jinn inciting him to utter corrupt words (including divorce).[1] Such a person becomes totally unaware of what he did or said during that moment.
In your particular case, whether doctors describe it as epileptic fit or the Āmils consider it to be the effect of black magic, Talāq will not take into effect if he was in the state of junoon as described above. This is determined when upon questioning him, he genuinely cannot recall his past actions and what he said at the time.
[Allãh Knows Best]
Written by (Mufti) Abdul Waheed
Answer Attested by Shaykh Mufti Saiful Islam
JKN Fatawa Department
[1] Bahr Raiq Nawaqizul Wudhu, p. 76 vol 1
وَأَمَّا الْجُنُونُ فَهُوَ زَوَالُ الْعَقْلِ وَنَقْضُهُ ظَاهِرٌ بِاعْتِبَارِ عَدَمِ مُبَالَاتِهِ وَتَمْيِيزِ الْحَدَثِ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ وَعَلَّلَهُ بَعْضُ الْمَشَايِخِ بِغَلَبَةِ الِاسْتِرْخَاءِ وَرُدَّ بِأَنَّ الْمَجْنُونَ قَدْ يَكُونُ أَقْوَى مِنْ الصَّحِيحِ فَالْأَوْلَى مَا قُلْنَاهُ كَذَا فِي الْعِنَايَةِ
Ibn Ābideen Shāmi, Bāb Salatul Mareedh, p. 573 vol 2
(قَوْلُهُ وَمَنْ جُنَّ أَوْ أُغْمِيَ عَلَيْهِ) الْجُنُونُ آفَةٌ تَسْلُبُ الْعَقْلَ وَالْإِغْمَاءُ آفَةٌ تَسْتُرُهُ
Ibn Ābideen Shāmi, Kitāb Talāq, p. 450 vol 4
(لَا يَقَعُ طَلَاقُ الْمَوْلَى عَلَى امْرَأَةِ عَبْدِهِ) (وَالْمَجْنُونُ) إلَّا إذَا عَلَّقَ عَاقِلًا ثُمَّ جُنَّ فَوُجِدَ الشَّرْطُ
(قَوْلُهُ وَالْمَجْنُونُ) قَالَ فِي التَّلْوِيحِ: الْجُنُونُ اخْتِلَالُ الْقُوَّةِ الْمُمَيِّزَةِ بَيْنَ الْأُمُورِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَالْقَبِيحَةِ الْمُدْرِكَةِ لِلْعَوَاقِبِ، بِأَنْ لَا تَظْهَرَ آثَارُهُ وَتَتَعَطَّلُ أَفْعَالُهَا، إمَّا لِنُقْصَانِ جَبَلٍ عَلَيْهِ دِمَاغُهُ فِي أَصْلِ الْخِلْقَةِ، وَإِمَّا لِخُرُوجِ مِزَاجِ الدِّمَاغِ عَنْ الِاعْتِدَالِ بِسَبَبِ خَلْطٍ أَوْ آفَةٍ، وَإِمَّا لِاسْتِيلَاءِ الشَّيْطَانِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِلْقَاءِ الْخَيَالَاتِ الْفَاسِدَةِ إلَيْهِ بِحَيْثُ يَفْرَحُ وَيَفْزَعُ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَا يَصْلُحُ سَبَبًا. اهـ. وَفِي الْبَحْرِ عَنْ الْخَانِيَّةِ: رَجُلٌ عَرَفَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ مَجْنُونًا فَقَالَتْ لَهُ امْرَأَتُهُ: طَلَّقْتَنِي الْبَارِحَةَ فَقَالَ: أَصَابَنِي الْجُنُونُ وَلَا يَعْرِفُ ذَلِكَ إلَّا بِقَوْلِهِ كَانَ الْقَوْلُ قَوْلَهُ. اهـ.