Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulām Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
A woman has been issued a ṭalāq bā’in (irrevocable divorce). Can she return to her first husband?
A woman who has received a ṭalāq bā’in cannot return to her first husband after her ʿiddah (waiting period), unless she marries another man and he either:
① Divorces her willingly, or
② Passes away.
Only after completing the ʿiddah from that second marriage, she may marry her former husband again.
فَإِنْ طَلَّقَهَا فَلَا تَحِلُّ لَهُ مِنْ بَعْدُ حَتَّىٰ تَنْكِحَ زَوْجًا غَيْرَهُ ۚ فَإِنْ طَلَّقَهَا فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِمَا أَنْ يَتَرَاجَعَا إِنْ ظَنَّا أَنْ يُقِيمَا حُدُودَ اللَّهِ ۗ وَتِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ يُبَيِّنُهَا لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ
Translation:
“And if he (the husband) divorces her (for the third time), then she is not lawful for him afterward until she marries another husband. Then, if the latter divorces her, there is no sin upon them (the woman and her first husband) to return to one another if they believe they can maintain the limits set by Allah. These are the limits of Allah which He makes clear to a people who know.”
[Sūrah al-Baqarah: 230]
➤ After a ṭalāq bā’in (especially a third divorce), the woman is not allowed to remarry her first husband immediately.
➤ She must marry another man genuinely and that marriage must end naturally—either through divorce or death.
➤ Only then, after completing her ʿiddah, she may marry her former husband again.
➤ This ruling is firmly grounded in the Qur’ān.
❖ Question:
A woman has been issued a ṭalāq bā’in (irrevocable divorce). Can she return to her first husband?
✿ Answer:
A woman who has received a ṭalāq bā’in cannot return to her first husband after her ʿiddah (waiting period), unless she marries another man and he either:
① Divorces her willingly, or
② Passes away.
Only after completing the ʿiddah from that second marriage, she may marry her former husband again.
✦ Qur'anic Evidence:
فَإِنْ طَلَّقَهَا فَلَا تَحِلُّ لَهُ مِنْ بَعْدُ حَتَّىٰ تَنْكِحَ زَوْجًا غَيْرَهُ ۚ فَإِنْ طَلَّقَهَا فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِمَا أَنْ يَتَرَاجَعَا إِنْ ظَنَّا أَنْ يُقِيمَا حُدُودَ اللَّهِ ۗ وَتِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ يُبَيِّنُهَا لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ
Translation:
“And if he (the husband) divorces her (for the third time), then she is not lawful for him afterward until she marries another husband. Then, if the latter divorces her, there is no sin upon them (the woman and her first husband) to return to one another if they believe they can maintain the limits set by Allah. These are the limits of Allah which He makes clear to a people who know.”
[Sūrah al-Baqarah: 230]
Summary:
➤ After a ṭalāq bā’in (especially a third divorce), the woman is not allowed to remarry her first husband immediately.
➤ She must marry another man genuinely and that marriage must end naturally—either through divorce or death.
➤ Only then, after completing her ʿiddah, she may marry her former husband again.
➤ This ruling is firmly grounded in the Qur’ān.
