Question 794: Can a woman stipulate in a marriage contract that she has the right to divorce under certain conditions?
Answer
✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:
1 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ أَنَّهُ قَضَى فِي رَجُلٍ تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً وَ أَصْدَقَتْهُ هِيَ وَ اشْتَرَطَتْ عَلَيْهِ أَنَّ بِيَدِهَا الْجِمَاعَ وَ الطَّلَاقَ قَالَ خَالَفَ السُّنَّةَ وَ وُلِّيَتْ حَقّاً لَيْسَتْ بِأَهْلِهِ فَقَضَى أَنَّ عَلَيْهِ الصَّدَاقَ وَ بِيَدِهِ الْجِمَاعَ وَ الطَّلَاقَ وَ ذَلِكَ السُّنَّةُ.
📚 Al-Faqih, Vol. 3, p. 425
Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said about a man who marries a woman, and the woman herself pays the dowry, and she stipulates to the man that cohabitation and divorce are in her hands. He said: 'She has contradicted the tradition (Sunnah) and has been granted a right that she is not entitled to!'
So the Imam ruled that the dowry is the man's responsibility, and cohabitation and divorce are also in the man's hands, and this is the tradition!
2 عَنِ ابْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ: قَضَى أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي امْرَأَةٍ تَزَوَّجَهَا رَجُلٌ وَ شَرَطَ عَلَيْهَا وَ عَلَى أَهْلِهَا إِنْ تَزَوَّجَ عَلَيْهَا امْرَأَةً أَوْ هَجَرَهَا أَوْ أَتَى عَلَيْهَا سُرِّيَّةً فَإِنَّهَا طَالِقٌ فَقَالَ شَرْطُ اللَّهِ قَبْلَ شَرْطِكُمْ إِنْ شَاءَ وَفَى بِشَرْطِهِ وَ إِنْ شَاءَ أَمْسَكَ امْرَأَتَهُ وَ نَكَحَ عَلَيْهَا وَ تَسَرَّى عَلَيْهَا وَ هَجَرَهَا إِنْ أَتَتْ بِسَبِيلِ ذَلِكَ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي كِتَابِهِ فَانْكِحُوا ما طابَ لَكُمْ مِنَ النِّساءِ مَثْنى وَ ثُلاثَ وَ رُباعَ
📚 Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, Vol. 1, p. 240
Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: 'Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) ruled on a woman whom a man marries and she and her family stipulate to him that if he marries another woman over her, or shuns her, or takes a slave-girl, she is divorced. He said: 'The condition of Allah is before your condition!'
'If he wishes, he can fulfill his condition (and divorce her), and if he wishes, he can keep her and also marry another woman and take a slave-girl over her, and if that woman does something that makes her deserving of being shunned, he should shun her!'
Allah the Exalted says in His book: 'Then marry women who are pleasing to you, two, or three, or four!'
3 عَنِ ابْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فِي رَجُلٍ قَالَ لِامْرَأَتِهِ إِنْ نَكَحْتُ عَلَيْكِ أَوْ تَسَرَّيْتُ فَهِيَ طَالِقٌ قَالَ لَيْسَ ذَلِكَ بِشَيْ ءٍ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّه قَالَ مَنِ اشْتَرَطَ شَرْطاً سِوَى كِتَابِ اللَّهِ فَلَا يَجُوزُ ذَلِكَ لَهُ وَ لَا عَلَيْهِ.
📚 Al-Tahdhib, Vol. 7, p. 373
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said about a man who says to his wife: 'If I marry another woman or take a slave-girl over you, she is divorced.' He said: 'This is nothing (it has no validity), indeed the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever makes a condition that contradicts the Quran, it is not permissible for him or against him!''
4 عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّه قَالَ: الْمُسْلِمُونَ عِنْدَ شُرُوطِهِمْ إِلَّا كُلَّ شَرْطٍ خَالَفَ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فَلَا يَجُوزُ.
📚 Tahdhib, Vol. 7, p. 22
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'Muslims are bound by their conditions, except for any condition that contradicts the Quran, which is not permissible!'
5 عَنْ هَارُون بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّه قَالَ: قُلْتُ لَهُ مَا تَقُولُ فِي رَجُلٍ جَعَلَ أَمْرَ امْرَأَتِهِ بِيَدِهَا قَالَ فَقَالَ لِي وَلَّى الْأَمْرَ مَنْ لَيْسَ أَهْلَهُ وَ خَالَفَ السُّنَّةَ وَ لَمْ يَجُزِ النِّكَاحُ
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 137
One of the companions said: 'I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): 'What do you say about a man who places the matter of his wife in her own hands?' (meaning he has stipulated in the marriage contract that divorce is in the wife's hands)
He said: The Imam said to me: 'He has given the matter to someone who is not entitled to it and has contradicted the tradition, and the marriage is not permissible!'
✅ In Shia narrations, the matter of divorce is placed in the hands of the man, and placing it in the hands of the woman, even under some conditions, is against the tradition and has no validity, and the man is not obligated to fulfill that condition.