Source: Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, Vol. 1, p. 766
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Islam classifies divorce (ṭalāq) into three main types. Here, we discuss the Qur’ānic phrase “الطَّلَاقُ مَرَّتَانِ” (“Divorce may be pronounced twice”) in light of the explanations provided by the eminent scholars of Tafsīr.
◈ Some exegetes hold that this verse refers to revocable divorce (ṭalāq rajʿiyyah).
◈ It means that a man may pronounce divorce twice, after which he still retains two options:
✿ Either to take his wife back (revoke the divorce), or
✿ To let her go.
◈ However, after the third divorce, no right of revocation remains.
◈ Other scholars maintain that this verse teaches Muslims the Sharʿi method of giving divorce.
◈ That is, a man may pronounce divorce only twice, each at separate times.
◈ After these two, he may either reconcile or separate.
◈ But if he divorces her a third time, she becomes permanently unlawful to him (ḥarām), unless she marries another man.
While there are additional opinions, these two represent the most authoritative interpretations.
Imām al-Mufassirīn (the leader of Qur’ānic commentators), Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī, mentioned both interpretations but gave preference to the first.
He wrote:
اختلف أهل التأويل في تأويل ذلك فقال بعضهم هو دلالة على عدد الطلاق الذي يكون الرجل فيه الرجعة...
“The scholars of Tafsīr differed concerning its meaning. Some said it indicates the number of divorces after which the husband retains the right of revocation and the point after which the wife becomes separated.”
◈ In pre-Islamic times, there was no limit to divorce. Men could issue and revoke divorces repeatedly.
◈ The Qur’an established that the right to revoke exists only twice. After the third divorce, it ends.
He further mentioned another opinion:
وقال آخرون إنما أنزلت هذه الآية... تعريفًا من الله تعالى عباده سنة طلاقهم نساءهم...
“Some said this verse was revealed to teach Allah’s servants the proper Sharʿi method of giving divorce.”
Ibn Jarīr concluded:
والذي أولى بظاهر التنزيل ما قاله عروة وقتادة...
“The interpretation closest to the apparent meaning of the Qur’an is that of ʿUrwah and Qatādah — that this verse indicates the number of divorces after which revocation is possible or no longer possible.”
In Aḥkām al-Qur’ān, Imām al-Jaṣṣāṣ mentioned three interpretations:
➊ The verse explains the number of divorces after which the husband retains the right of revocation (reported from ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr and Qatādah).
➋ It indicates the Sunnah method of giving divorce — in stages (reported from Ibn ʿAbbās and Mujāhid).
➌ If a man intends to issue three divorces, he must pronounce them separately, not all at once.
He concluded that the verse proves divorces should be given separately, not in one sitting.
◈ The term “مَرَّتَانِ” does not merely mean repeating the word “ṭalāq.”
◈ It signifies giving divorce once, and then again separately.
◈ Saying “ṭalāq, ṭalāq, ṭalāq” at one time does not fulfill the Qur’ānic sense of “twice.”
He supported this with three proofs:
◈ Imām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī: “مَرَّتَانِ” means “two separate times,” implying divorce must be spaced apart.
◈ Ibn al-Qayyim (Zād al-Maʿād): It refers to separate pronouncements, not a single instance.
◈ Qāḍī Thana’ullāh Pānīpatī: If two divorces issued together are invalid, then three given together are even more so.
◈ Abū Bakr Jābir al-Jazā’irī (Aysar al-Tafāsīr): A man should pronounce one divorce, reconcile, then a second; after the third, no reconciliation is allowed.
◈ According to the Qur’an:
✿ Divorce must be given one at a time, not all at once.
✿ “مَرَّتَانِ” means two separate occasions, not a triple utterance.
✿ The Qur’an does not mention triple divorce in one sitting.
◈ The majority of exegetes (jumhūr al-mufassirīn) agree that divorce must be separate and deliberate, not hasty.
◈ Issuing three divorces at once contradicts the Qur’an and Sunnah.
From the Qur’ānic verses and the explanations of leading Mufassirīn, it is evident that:
✿ “الطَّلَاقُ مَرَّتَانِ” means divorce is to be pronounced twice on separate occasions.
✿ After the first and second divorce, the husband may reconcile.
✿ After the third, all rights of return end.
✿ Issuing three divorces in one sitting is against the Qur’an and the Prophetic method.
هٰذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
(This is what I understand; Allah knows best what is correct.)
✦ Explanation of
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Islam classifies divorce (ṭalāq) into three main types. Here, we discuss the Qur’ānic phrase “الطَّلَاقُ مَرَّتَانِ” (“Divorce may be pronounced twice”) in light of the explanations provided by the eminent scholars of Tafsīr.
❖ Views of the Mufassirīn
First View — Regarding Ṭalāq Rajʿiyyah (Revocable Divorce)
◈ Some exegetes hold that this verse refers to revocable divorce (ṭalāq rajʿiyyah).
◈ It means that a man may pronounce divorce twice, after which he still retains two options:
✿ Either to take his wife back (revoke the divorce), or
✿ To let her go.
◈ However, after the third divorce, no right of revocation remains.
Second View — Regarding the Prescribed Method of Divorce
◈ Other scholars maintain that this verse teaches Muslims the Sharʿi method of giving divorce.
◈ That is, a man may pronounce divorce only twice, each at separate times.
◈ After these two, he may either reconcile or separate.
◈ But if he divorces her a third time, she becomes permanently unlawful to him (ḥarām), unless she marries another man.
While there are additional opinions, these two represent the most authoritative interpretations.
❖ Clarification by
Imām al-Mufassirīn (the leader of Qur’ānic commentators), Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī, mentioned both interpretations but gave preference to the first.
He wrote:
اختلف أهل التأويل في تأويل ذلك فقال بعضهم هو دلالة على عدد الطلاق الذي يكون الرجل فيه الرجعة...
“The scholars of Tafsīr differed concerning its meaning. Some said it indicates the number of divorces after which the husband retains the right of revocation and the point after which the wife becomes separated.”
◈ In pre-Islamic times, there was no limit to divorce. Men could issue and revoke divorces repeatedly.
◈ The Qur’an established that the right to revoke exists only twice. After the third divorce, it ends.
He further mentioned another opinion:
وقال آخرون إنما أنزلت هذه الآية... تعريفًا من الله تعالى عباده سنة طلاقهم نساءهم...
“Some said this verse was revealed to teach Allah’s servants the proper Sharʿi method of giving divorce.”
Ibn Jarīr concluded:
والذي أولى بظاهر التنزيل ما قاله عروة وقتادة...
“The interpretation closest to the apparent meaning of the Qur’an is that of ʿUrwah and Qatādah — that this verse indicates the number of divorces after which revocation is possible or no longer possible.”
❖ Research of
In Aḥkām al-Qur’ān, Imām al-Jaṣṣāṣ mentioned three interpretations:
➊ The verse explains the number of divorces after which the husband retains the right of revocation (reported from ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr and Qatādah).
➋ It indicates the Sunnah method of giving divorce — in stages (reported from Ibn ʿAbbās and Mujāhid).
➌ If a man intends to issue three divorces, he must pronounce them separately, not all at once.
He concluded that the verse proves divorces should be given separately, not in one sitting.
❖ Explanation by ʿAllāmah Shams Pirzādah (Amīr, Jamāʿat-e-Islāmī Maharashtra)
◈ The term “مَرَّتَانِ” does not merely mean repeating the word “ṭalāq.”
◈ It signifies giving divorce once, and then again separately.
◈ Saying “ṭalāq, ṭalāq, ṭalāq” at one time does not fulfill the Qur’ānic sense of “twice.”
He supported this with three proofs:
- Linguistic Evidence: In Arabic, “مَرَّتَانِ” means once after another, not simple repetition.
- Example of Stoning (Ramy al-Jimār): Throwing seven pebbles all at once counts as one throw, not seven.
- Example of Oaths: Saying “I swear four times” counts as one oath, not four.
❖ Opinions of Other Mufassirīn
◈ Imām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī: “مَرَّتَانِ” means “two separate times,” implying divorce must be spaced apart.
◈ Ibn al-Qayyim (Zād al-Maʿād): It refers to separate pronouncements, not a single instance.
◈ Qāḍī Thana’ullāh Pānīpatī: If two divorces issued together are invalid, then three given together are even more so.
◈ Abū Bakr Jābir al-Jazā’irī (Aysar al-Tafāsīr): A man should pronounce one divorce, reconcile, then a second; after the third, no reconciliation is allowed.
❖ Summary and Key Points
◈ According to the Qur’an:
✿ Divorce must be given one at a time, not all at once.
✿ “مَرَّتَانِ” means two separate occasions, not a triple utterance.
✿ The Qur’an does not mention triple divorce in one sitting.
◈ The majority of exegetes (jumhūr al-mufassirīn) agree that divorce must be separate and deliberate, not hasty.
◈ Issuing three divorces at once contradicts the Qur’an and Sunnah.
❖ Conclusion
From the Qur’ānic verses and the explanations of leading Mufassirīn, it is evident that:
✿ “الطَّلَاقُ مَرَّتَانِ” means divorce is to be pronounced twice on separate occasions.
✿ After the first and second divorce, the husband may reconcile.
✿ After the third, all rights of return end.
✿ Issuing three divorces in one sitting is against the Qur’an and the Prophetic method.
هٰذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
(This is what I understand; Allah knows best what is correct.)
