Excerpt from the book: Ahkām wa Masā'il Kitāb o Sunnat ki Roshni Mein by Shaykh Mubashshir Ahmad Rabbani
A man gave his wife three divorces (ṭalāq) at once seven years ago. Later, he married another woman and eventually divorced her as well. Now, he wishes to remarry his first ex-wife.
Is there any provision for this in Islamic law?
In Islamic law, multiple divorces (ṭalāq) given in a single sitting — whether verbally or in writing, on one document or multiple — are considered as one revocable divorce (ṭalāq rajʿī).
Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما narrated:
كان الطلاق على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وأبي بكر وسنتين من خلافة عمر، طلاق الثلاث واحدة
“During the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Abū Bakr, and the first two years of ʿUmar's caliphate, three divorces were considered as one.”
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Ṭalāq, Bāb Ṭalāq al-Thalāth (1472)
Also reported in: al-Mustadrak lil-Ḥākim (2/197, Ḥadīth: 2793), Musnad Aḥmad (1/314, Ḥadīth: 2877), Fatḥ al-Bārī, Dār Quṭnī (3/36, Ḥadīth: 3961)
This authentic narration proves that during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ, three simultaneous divorces counted as one.
Further clarification comes from the ḥadīth of Rukānah رضي الله عنه, found in:
Musnad Aḥmad (5/355, Ḥadīth: 23286) — also cited in Fatḥ al-Bārī — which is a clear and unambiguous text on the issue.
Hence, based on these authentic narrations:
Only one divorce occurred,
even if the man uttered it three times in one sitting.
Since seven years have passed since the divorce, the waiting period (ʿiddah) is long over.
❖ Therefore, if the man and woman wish to reunite, they may do so by performing a new marriage contract (nikāḥ jādid).
Regarding a similar case, when the sister of Maʿqil ibn Yasār رضي الله عنه was divorced and later wanted to remarry her ex-husband, Maʿqil (as her guardian) initially objected.
In this context, Allah ﷻ revealed:
﴿وَإِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَبَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَلَا تَعْضُلُوهُنَّ أَنْ يَنْكِحْنَ أَزْوَاجَهُنَّ إِذَا تَرَاضَوْا بَيْنَهُمْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ﴾
“And when you divorce women and they have reached the end of their waiting period (ʿiddah), do not prevent them from remarrying their (former) husbands if they mutually agree in a decent manner.”
Surah al-Baqarah: 232
This divine revelation clearly grants permission for remarriage after the waiting period, in cases of revocable divorce — through a new nikāḥ, without any need for ḥalālah.
The concept of ḥalālah (arranged intermediate marriage to make the woman lawful again) is prohibited and cursed in Islam, based on multiple authentic and explicit ḥadīths.
There is no requirement for ḥalālah in this scenario because:
➤ The divorce was only one in ruling.
➤ The waiting period has passed.
➤ A new marriage contract can validly reunite the couple.
In this case, a new nikāḥ is valid and permissible between the man and his first wife.
There is no need for ḥalālah, which is in fact forbidden and sinful in Islamic law.
❖ Question:
A man gave his wife three divorces (ṭalāq) at once seven years ago. Later, he married another woman and eventually divorced her as well. Now, he wishes to remarry his first ex-wife.
Is there any provision for this in Islamic law?
❖ Answer:
In Islamic law, multiple divorces (ṭalāq) given in a single sitting — whether verbally or in writing, on one document or multiple — are considered as one revocable divorce (ṭalāq rajʿī).
❖ Evidence from Hadith:
Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما narrated:
كان الطلاق على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وأبي بكر وسنتين من خلافة عمر، طلاق الثلاث واحدة
“During the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Abū Bakr, and the first two years of ʿUmar's caliphate, three divorces were considered as one.”
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Ṭalāq, Bāb Ṭalāq al-Thalāth (1472) Also reported in: al-Mustadrak lil-Ḥākim (2/197, Ḥadīth: 2793), Musnad Aḥmad (1/314, Ḥadīth: 2877), Fatḥ al-Bārī, Dār Quṭnī (3/36, Ḥadīth: 3961)This authentic narration proves that during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ, three simultaneous divorces counted as one.
Further clarification comes from the ḥadīth of Rukānah رضي الله عنه, found in:
Musnad Aḥmad (5/355, Ḥadīth: 23286) — also cited in Fatḥ al-Bārī — which is a clear and unambiguous text on the issue.Hence, based on these authentic narrations:
Only one divorce occurred,even if the man uttered it three times in one sitting.
❖ Ruling Based on This Case:
Since seven years have passed since the divorce, the waiting period (ʿiddah) is long over.
❖ Therefore, if the man and woman wish to reunite, they may do so by performing a new marriage contract (nikāḥ jādid).
❖ Qur'anic Evidence:
Regarding a similar case, when the sister of Maʿqil ibn Yasār رضي الله عنه was divorced and later wanted to remarry her ex-husband, Maʿqil (as her guardian) initially objected.
In this context, Allah ﷻ revealed:
﴿وَإِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَبَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَلَا تَعْضُلُوهُنَّ أَنْ يَنْكِحْنَ أَزْوَاجَهُنَّ إِذَا تَرَاضَوْا بَيْنَهُمْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ﴾
“And when you divorce women and they have reached the end of their waiting period (ʿiddah), do not prevent them from remarrying their (former) husbands if they mutually agree in a decent manner.”
Surah al-Baqarah: 232This divine revelation clearly grants permission for remarriage after the waiting period, in cases of revocable divorce — through a new nikāḥ, without any need for ḥalālah.
❖ Important Note on Ḥalālah:
The concept of ḥalālah (arranged intermediate marriage to make the woman lawful again) is prohibited and cursed in Islam, based on multiple authentic and explicit ḥadīths.There is no requirement for ḥalālah in this scenario because:
➤ The divorce was only one in ruling.
➤ The waiting period has passed.
➤ A new marriage contract can validly reunite the couple.
Conclusion:
In this case, a new nikāḥ is valid and permissible between the man and his first wife.
There is no need for ḥalālah, which is in fact forbidden and sinful in Islamic law.
