Question 2091: Does a woman who has been divorced three times become lawful (Halal) for her former husband through a temporary marriage (Mut'ah) without intercourse?
Answer
✅ Answer: Please pay attention to the following verses and hadiths:
الطَّلَاقُ مَرَّتَانِ ۖ فَإِمْسَاکٌ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ تَسْرِیحٌ بِإِحْسَانٍ...
Divorce is twice! (And after two divorces) one should either keep his wife honorably or release her kindly...
فَإِن طَلَّقَهَا فَلَا تَحِلُّ لَهُ مِن بَعْدُ حَتَّی تَنکِحَ زَوجًا غَیْرَهُ ۗ فَإِن طَلَّقَهَا فَلا جُنَاحَ عَلَیْهِمَا أَن یَتَرَاجَعَا إِن ظَنَّا أَن یُقِیمَا حُدُودَ اللَّهِ ۗ وتِلْکَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ یُبَیِّنُهَا لِقَوْمٍ یَعْلَمُونَ
And if he divorces her (again after two divorces and return), after that, she will not be lawful for him until she marries another man.
Then if (the second husband) divorces her, there is no blame upon them (the first couple) if they return (and marry each other). If they hope to establish the limits of Allah. And these are the limits of Allah, which Allah explains for a people who know.
📖 Surah Al-Baqarah, verses 229 and 230
1 عن أبی بصیر عن أبی عَبْداللَّه فی الْمُطَلَّقَةِ التَّطْلِیقَةَ الثَّالِثَةَ لَا تَحِلُّ لَهُ حَتَّی تَنْکِحَ زَوْجاً غَیْرَهُ و یَذُوقَ عُسَیْلَتَهَا
📚 Al-Kafi, vol 6, p 76
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said regarding a woman who has been divorced for the third time: She is not lawful for him until she marries a man other than him and tastes the sweetness of his sexual intercourse!
2 عن زرارة عن أبی جعفر فِی الرَّجُلِ یُطَلِّقُ امْرَأَتَهُ تَطْلِیقَةً ثُمَّ یُرَاجِعُهَا بَعْدَ انْقِضَاءِ عِدَّتِهَا فَإِذا طَلَّقَهَا الثَّالِثَةَ لَمْ تَحِلَّ لَهُ حَتَّی تَنْکِحَ زَوْجاً غَیْرَهُ فَإِذَا تَزَوَّجَهَا غَیْرُهُ و لَمْ یَدْخُلْ بِهَا و طَلَّقَهَا أَوْ ماتَ عَنْهَا لَمْ تَحِلَّ لِزَوْجِهَا الْأَوَّلِ حَتَّی یَذُوقَ الْآخَرُ عُسَیْلَتَهَا
📚 Kafi, vol 6, p 76
Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said regarding a man who divorces his wife and then returns to her (marries her) after her 'Iddah (waiting period) is complete: If he divorces her for the third time, she is not lawful for that man until she marries someone other than him. So, if she marries someone other than him but he does not have intercourse with her until he divorces her or passes away, she is not lawful for her first husband until another man tastes the sweetness of sexual intercourse with her!
3 عن عبدالله بن سنان عن أبِی عبدالله فی امْرَأَةٍ طَلَّقَهَا زَوْجُهَا ثَلَاثاً قَبْلَ أَنْ یَدْخُلَ بِهَا قال لا تَحِلُّ لَهُ حَتَّی تَنْکِحَ زَوْجاً غَیْرَهُ
📚 Tahdhib, vol 8, p 65
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said regarding a woman whose husband divorces her three times before intercourse: She is not lawful for him until she marries another man!
4 عن طربال قال: سألت أباعبدالله عن رَجُلٍ طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ تَطْلِیقَةً قبل أَنْ یَدْخُلَ بِهَا وَ أَشْهَدَ عَلَی ذَلِکَ و أَعْلَمَهَا قَالَ قَدْ بَانَتْ مِنْهُ سَاعَةً طَلَّقَهَا وَ هُوَ خَاطِبٌ مِنَ الْخُطَّابِ قُلْتُ فَإِنْ تَزَوَّجَهَا ثُمَّ طَلَّقَهَا تَطْلِیقَةً أُخْرَی قَبْلَ أَنْ یَدْخُلَ بِهَا قال قَدْ بَانَتْ مِنْهُ سَاعَةً طَلَّقَهَا قُلْتُ فَإِنْ تَزَوَّجَهَا مِنْ سَاعَتِهِ أَیْضاً ثُمَّ طَلَّقَهَا تَطْلِیقَةً قَالَ قَدْ بَانَتْ مِنْهُ و لَا تَحِلُّ لَهُ حَتَّی تَنْکِحَ زَوْجاً غَیْرَهُ.
📚 Tahdhib, vol 8, p 65
Tarbāl says: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about a man who divorces his wife once before intercourse, takes a witness to it, and informs her; the Imam said: At the moment of divorce, it becomes irrevocable (Bā'in), and that man is a suitor among suitors.
I said: What if he marries her and divorces her again before intercourse? He said: At the moment of divorce, she becomes irrevocable from him!
I said: What if he marries her again at the same hour and then divorces her? He said: She has become irrevocable from him, and she is no longer lawful for him until another man marries her!
✅ Based on the above verses and hadiths and others, if a man divorces his wife twice, either revocably (Raj'ī) or irrevocably (Bā'in), and then returns to her or marries her again, if he divorces her for the third time, that woman is no longer lawful for him until she marries another man and has intercourse with him. If intercourse does not take place, that woman remains forbidden to that man until she has a marriage with sexual intercourse with another man.
✅ Therefore, a woman who has been divorced three times by her husband and as a result is no longer lawful for him, **does not** become lawful for her first husband through a temporary marriage without intercourse.
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ و آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ و عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ و الْعَافِیَةَ و النَّصْر