Question 1020: How is the formula for divorce pronounced?

94 13 Feb 2021
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✅ Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ رَجُلٍ قَالَ لِامْرَأَتِهِ أَنْتِ عَلَيَّ حَرَامٌ أَوْ بَائِنَةٌ أَوْ بَتَّةٌ أَوْ بَرِيَّةٌ أَوْ خَلِيَّةٌ قَالَ هَذَا كُلُّهُ لَيْسَ بِشَيْ ءٍ إِنَّمَا الطَّلَاقُ أَنْ يَقُولَ لَهَا فِي قُبُلِ الْعِدَّةِ بَعْدَ مَا تَطْهُرُ مِنْ مَحِيضِهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يُجَامِعَهَا أَنْتِ طَالِقٌ أَوِ اعْتَدِّي يُرِيدُ بِذَلِكَ الطَّلَاقَ وَ يُشْهِدَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ رَجُلَيْنِ عَدْلَيْنِ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 69

Muhammad ibn Muslim asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about a man who says to his wife:

أَنْتِ عَلَیَّ حَرَامٌ : یعنی :تو بر من حرام هستی

Or he says:

(Anti) ba'inah: meaning, you are separate and distinct from me.

Or he says:

(Anti) battah: meaning, you are cut off!

Or he says: (Anti) bariyyah: meaning, you are separate.

Or he says: (Anti) khaliyyah: you are released, and asked; the Imam said: All of these are nothing (they have no validity for divorce), and indeed divorce is when, at the beginning of the waiting period, after she has become pure from her menstruation, before he has intercourse with her, the man says to her: 'Anti taliq: meaning, you are divorced, or with the intention of divorce, he says to her: Observe the waiting period, and he takes two just men as witnesses to it!'

2 Muhammad ibn Muslim asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about a man who says to his wife:

Anti haram: meaning: you are forbidden (to me).

Or he says:

(Anti) ba'inah: meaning, you are separate and distinct from me.

Or he says:

(Anti) battah: meaning, you are cut off!

Or he says: (Anti) bariyyah: meaning, you are separate.

Or he says: (Anti) khaliyyah: you are released, and asked; the Imam said: All of these are nothing, and indeed divorce is when, at the beginning of the waiting period, before he has intercourse with her, the man says to her: 'Anti taliq: meaning, you are divorced, and he takes two just men as witnesses to it!'

📚 Al-Mukhtalif, p. 585

3 عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي نَصْرٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ عَنْ رَجُلٍ كَانَتْ لَهُ امْرَأَةٌ طَهُرَتْ مِنْ مَحِيضِهَا فَجَاءَ إِلَى جَمَاعَةٍ فَقَالَ فُلَانَةُ طَالِقٌ يَقَعُ عَلَيْهَا الطَّلَاقُ وَ لَمْ يَقُلِ اشْهَدُوا قَالَ نَعَمْ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 72

Ahmad said: I asked Abu al-Hasan (peace be upon him) about a man who has a wife who has become pure from her menstruation. So the man comes to a group of people and says:

فُلَانَةُ طَالِقٌ

Meaning: such and such a woman (for example, Fatima) is divorced.

Does the divorce take place while he has not told them to be witnesses? He said: Yes!

4 صَفْوَانَ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا قَالَ: سُئِلَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ طَهُرَتِ امْرَأَتُهُ مِنْ حَيْضِهَا فَقَالَ فُلَانَةُ طَالِقٌ وَ قَوْمٌ يَسْمَعُونَ كَلَامَهُ وَ لَمْ يَقُلْ لَهُمُ اشْهَدُوا أَيَقَعُ الطَّلَاقُ عَلَيْهَا قَالَ نَعَمْ هَذِهِ شَهَادَةٌ

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 72

It was asked of Imam Ridha (peace be upon him) about a man whose wife has become pure from menstruation, so he says: 'Fulana taliq,' while a group hears his words and he does not tell them to be witnesses. Does the divorce take effect on her? He said: Yes, this is the testimony!

5 عَنْ زُرَارَةَ قال: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ مَا تَقُولُ فِي رَجُلٍ أَحْضَرَ شَاهِدَيْنِ عَدْلَيْنِ وَ أَحْضَرَ امْرَأَتَيْنِ لَهُ وَ هُمَا طَاهِرَتَانِ مِنْ غَيْرِ جِمَاعٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ اشْهَدَا أَنَّ امْرَأَتَيَّ هَاتَيْنِ طَالِقٌ وَ هُمَا طَاهِرَتَانِ أَ يَقَعُ الطَّلَاقُ قَالَ نَعَمْ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 72

Zurarah said: I said to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): 'What do you say about a man who brings two just witnesses and brings his two wives, who are both in a state of purity without intercourse, and then says:

إِشْهَدَا أَنَّ امْرَأَتَيَّ هَاتَيْنِ طَالِقٌ وَ هُمَا طَاهِرَتَانِ

Meaning: you two be witnesses that indeed these two wives of mine are divorced, and they are in a state of purity. Does the divorce take place? He said: Yes!

✅ From the above narrations and others, it is clear that for a man to divorce his wife, the following conditions, among others, must be met:

The woman should not be in her menstruation and should be in a state of purity. (Except for two cases of exception that have been mentioned in the narrations).

Intercourse should not have taken place during that state of purity.

The divorce must take place in the presence of two just witnesses.

When the above conditions and other necessary conditions are met, when the man, with the intention of divorce, says to the woman: 'Anti taliq,' or in the presence of two just witnesses, he says for the intended wife, for example, named Fatima: 'Fatima taliq,' the divorce has taken place, and the woman's waiting period begins.

Divorcing two wives with one formula is also permissible according to hadith 5.