Husband Issues Three Divorces and Becomes an Apostate

13th September 2021

 

Question: If a man divorces his wife thrice and then commits kufr. Then he repents and becomes Muslim again. Can he marry the woman after her Iddah period without the woman getting married again?

 

 

الجواب حامداً و مصلياً

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 

Answer

In reference to your query, despite him committing kufr after three divorces and then repenting, she still does not become Halāl for him until she marries someone else, consummates the marriage and then he divorces her. The reason as the renowned Hanafi jurist Allamah Kasani rahimahullah explains is that the statement of Almighty Allāh, “She is not halal for him until she marries a man other than him” [2:230] negates any form of permissibility of marriage to her former husband prior to marrying another man.  Three divorces are the maximum limit a husband can issue which can only be renewed after her second marriage. Furthermore, the verse suggest that a ruling is attached to its extreme point, in this case until she marries another man, which indicates that before this, her former husband is still not Halāl.[1] Apostasy therefore does not invalidate divorce rulings.[2] From this, the jurists explain that even if the wife (God forbid) becomes an apostate after receiving three divorces and later on she returns to him (after renewing her faith) without marrying someone else, she still does not become Halāl for him.[3]

 

In light of the above, despite the husband apostatising after pronouncing three divorces and then renewing his faith thereafter, she still doesn’t become Halāl for him until she marries another man, consummates the second marriage and then he divorces her.

 

 

 [Allãh Knows Best]

 

 

Written and researched by (Mufti) Abdul Waheed

Answer Attested by Shaykh Mufti Saiful Islam

JKN Fatawa Department

 

 

[1] Kasān, Badā’i Sanāi, Kitāb al-Hajj, vol 3 p. 187

وَإِنَّمَا تَنْتَهِي الْحُرْمَةُ وَتَحِلُّ لِلزَّوْجِ الْأَوَّلِ بِشَرَائِطَ مِنْهَا النِّكَاحُ، وَهُوَ أَنْ تَنْكِحَ زَوْجًا غَيْرَهُ لِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى {حَتَّى تَنْكِحَ زَوْجًا غَيْرَهُ} [البقرة: 230] نَفَى الْحِلَّ، وَحَدَّ النَّفْيَ إلَى غَايَةِ التَّزَوُّجِ بِزَوْجٍ آخَرَ، وَالْحُكْمُ الْمَمْدُودُ إلَى غَايَةٍ لَا يَنْتَهِي قَبْلَ وُجُودِ الْغَايَةِ، فَلَا تَنْتَهِي الْحُرْمَةُ قَبْلَ التَّزَوُّجِ، فَلَا يَحِلُّ لِلزَّوْجِ الْأَوَّلِ قَبْلَهُ ضَرُورَةً،

 

Fatawa Hindiyyah, Kitāb al-Manāsik, Bāb al-Jinayat, vol 1, p. 473

وَإِنْ كَانَ الطَّلَاقُ ثَلَاثًا فِي الْحُرَّةِ وَثِنْتَيْنِ فِي الْأَمَةِ لَمْ تَحِلَّ لَهُ حَتَّى تَنْكِحَ زَوْجًا غَيْرَهُ نِكَاحًا صَحِيحًا وَيَدْخُلَ بِهَا ثُمَّ يُطَلِّقَهَا أَوْ يَمُوتَ عَنْهَا كَذَا فِي الْهِدَايَةِ وَلَا فَرْقَ فِي ذَلِكَ بَيْنَ كَوْنِ الْمُطَلَّقَةِ مَدْخُولًا بِهَا أَوْ غَيْرَ مَدْخُولٍ بِهَا كَذَا فِي فَتْحِ الْقَدِيرِ وَيُشْتَرَطُ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْإِيلَاجُ مُوجِبًا لِلْغُسْلِ وَهُوَ الْتِقَاءُ الْخِتَانَيْنِ هَكَذَا فِي الْعَيْنِيِّ شَرْحِ الْكَنْزِ.

 

[2] Durrul Mukhtār wa hashiyah Ibn Ābideen Shāmi, Kitābus Salāh, Bāb Shurootus Salāh, vol 2 p. 73

بَابُ الرَّجْعَةِ

[مَطْلَبٌ فِي حِيلَةُ إسْقَاطِ عِدَّةِ الْمُحَلِّلِ]

فَلَا يُحِلُّهَا وَطْءُ الْمَوْلَى وَلَا مِلْكُ أَمَةٍ بَعْدَ طَلْقَتَيْنِ، أَوْ حُرَّةٍ بَعْدَ ثَلَاثٍ وَرِدَّةٌ وَسَبْيٌ وَنَظِيرُهُ مَنْ فُرِّقَ بَيْنَهُمَا بِظِهَارٍ، أَوْ لِعَانٍ ثُمَّ ارْتَدَّتْ وَسُبِيَتْ ثُمَّ مَلَكَهَا لَمْ تَحِلَّ لَهُ أَبَدًا

أَنَّ الرِّدَّةَ وَاللَّحَاقَ وَالسَّبْيَ لَمْ تُبْطِلْ حُكْمَ الظِّهَارِ وَاللِّعَانِ كَمَا لَمْ تُبْطِلْ حُكْمَ الطَّلَاقِ

 

[3] Fatawa Hindiyyah, Kitāb al-Manāsik, Bāb al-Jinayat, vol 1, p. 473

وَلَوْ ارْتَدَّتْ الْمُطَلَّقَةُ ثَلَاثًا وَلَحِقَتْ بِدَارِ الْحَرْبِ ثُمَّ اسْتَرَقَّهَا أَوْ طَلَّقَ زَوْجَتَهُ الْأَمَةَ ثِنْتَيْنِ ثُمَّ مَلَكَهَا فَفِي هَاتَيْنِ لَا يَحِلُّ لَهُ الْوَطْءُ إلَّا بَعْدَ زَوْجٍ آخَرَ كَذَا فِي النَّهْرِ الْفَائِقِ.