Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah (Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām), Vol. 2, p. 191
Question
What is the ruling if a man divorces his wife in a state of anger and later regrets it? What is the Sharʿī solution in this case?
Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā baʿd:
Ruling on Divorce in Anger
◈ According to Sharīʿah, if a man divorces his wife while in a state of anger, the divorce takes effect.
◈ The evidence for this is the ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
«ثلاث جدهن جد وهزلهن جد: النكاح والطلاق والرجعة»
“Three matters — whether done seriously or in jest — are binding: marriage, divorce, and taking one’s wife back (revocation).”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 2194)
Authenticity of the Ḥadīth
- Its chain is ḥasan (sound).
- Imām al-Tirmidhī graded it ḥasan gharīb.
- Imām al-Ḥākim declared it ṣaḥīḥ (Vol. 2, p. 198).
- The narrator ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ardak is considered ḥasan al-ḥadīth.
(Source: Nayl al-Maqṣūd, Vol. 2, p. 560)
Additional Evidence
- Several other aḥādīth with similar meaning support this ruling.
- For details, see: al-Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr, Vol. 3, p. 210.
Conclusion
- Divorce given in anger does occur, even if the man regrets it afterward.
- The Sharʿī ruling on this matter is clear and decisive.
Hādhā mā ʿindī, wallāhu aʿlam biṣ-ṣawāb.
