Authored by: Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri ḥafiẓahullāh
As mentioned by Imam al-Tirmidhi رحمه الله (279–279 AH) after quoting a weak narration, he states:
وَالْعَمَلُ عَلٰي هٰذَا عِنْدَ أَكْثَرِ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ، قَالُوْا : إِذَا تَزَوَّجَ الرَّجُلُ الْمَرْأَةَ، ثُمَّ طَلَّقَهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَّدْخُلَ بِهَا، حَلَّ لَهُ أَنْ يَّنْكِحَ ابْنَتَهَا، وَإِذَا تَزَوَّجَ الرَّجُلُ الاِبْنَةَ، فَطَلَّقَهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَّدْخُلَ بِهَا، لَمْ يَحِلَّ لَهُ نِكَاحُ أُمِّهَا، لِقَوْلِ اللهِ تَعَالٰي : وَأُمَّهَاتُ نِسَائِكُمْ
[Sunan al-Tirmidhi, under Hadith no. 1117]
"This is the practice of the majority of the scholars. They say: If a man marries a woman and then divorces her before consummation, it is permissible for him to marry her daughter. But if he marries the daughter and divorces her before consummation, it is not permissible for him to marry her mother — because of the statement of Allah, the Exalted: وَأُمَّهَاتُ نِسَائِكُمْ (And [also prohibited to you are] the mothers of your wives)."
This is also the position of Imam al-Shāfiʿī, Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, and Imam Isḥāq Rahwayh رحمهم الله.
❖ Question:
A man divorced his wife before the marriage was consummated. Can he now marry her mother?❖ Answer:
No, he cannot marry her mother. She is his mother-in-law, and marriage to a mother-in-law is prohibited according to the Noble Qur'an.As mentioned by Imam al-Tirmidhi رحمه الله (279–279 AH) after quoting a weak narration, he states:
وَالْعَمَلُ عَلٰي هٰذَا عِنْدَ أَكْثَرِ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ، قَالُوْا : إِذَا تَزَوَّجَ الرَّجُلُ الْمَرْأَةَ، ثُمَّ طَلَّقَهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَّدْخُلَ بِهَا، حَلَّ لَهُ أَنْ يَّنْكِحَ ابْنَتَهَا، وَإِذَا تَزَوَّجَ الرَّجُلُ الاِبْنَةَ، فَطَلَّقَهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَّدْخُلَ بِهَا، لَمْ يَحِلَّ لَهُ نِكَاحُ أُمِّهَا، لِقَوْلِ اللهِ تَعَالٰي : وَأُمَّهَاتُ نِسَائِكُمْ
[Sunan al-Tirmidhi, under Hadith no. 1117]
"This is the practice of the majority of the scholars. They say: If a man marries a woman and then divorces her before consummation, it is permissible for him to marry her daughter. But if he marries the daughter and divorces her before consummation, it is not permissible for him to marry her mother — because of the statement of Allah, the Exalted: وَأُمَّهَاتُ نِسَائِكُمْ (And [also prohibited to you are] the mothers of your wives)."
This is also the position of Imam al-Shāfiʿī, Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, and Imam Isḥāq Rahwayh رحمهم الله.
