❖ The Duration of ʾĪlāʾ
Written by: ʿImrān Ayyūb Lāhorī
❀ Scholarly Difference
There is a difference of opinion regarding the minimum duration of ʾĪlāʾ:
- According to the majority (jumhūr), ʾĪlāʾ applies only if the oath is for four months or more. If it is for less than four months, then it is not considered ʾĪlāʾ.
- However, it is narrated from Imām Ibn Sīrīn, Imām Ibn Abī Laylā, Imām Qatādah, Imām Ḥasan, and Imām Nakhaʿī رحمهم الله that ʾĪlāʾ can also take place in less than four months, because the objective is to cause harm or hardship to the wife, and that can occur even in a shorter period.
❀ Stronger Opinion
The stronger opinion seems to be the latter view, since it is authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ himself once practiced ʾĪlāʾ for one month.
If ʾĪlāʾ of less than four months were not valid, such an action would not have been attributed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
References:
- Nayl al-Awṭār 4/354
- al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah 2/134
