QUESTION:
If Zaid swears an oath and says “She is not my wife, we did not get married” about his wife, then has he divorced her?
ANSWER:
In this situation, if Zaid says “She is not my wife” or “I did not marry her”, then divorce will not occur, even if he swears an oath on this.
However it is a sin to take a false oath and therefore he must repent and ask for forgiveness. In fiqh this is called an ‘invalid oath’ (Yameen-e-Ghumoos) and there is no penalty (kaffarah) for this type of oath.
It says in Fatawa Alamgiri vol. 1 in the section of ‘divorcing with indirect words (Kinaayaat):
“إن قال لم اتزوجک و نوي الطلاق لا يقع الطلاق بالإجماع کذا في البدائع”
It also says in Fatawa Hindiyyah vol. 1 in the chapter of ‘divorcing using Persian words:
لو قال توزن من نيستي لا يقع و إن نوي هو المختار کذا في جواهر الاخلاطي
Also the same book in the chapter of Kinaayaat states:
اتفقوا جميعا أنه لو قال واللّٰ ما أنت لي بامرأة أو لست واللّٰ لي بامرأة فإنه لا يقع شيئ
و إن نوي کذا في السراج الوهاج ملخصا
This is how Imam Ahmad Rida Khan (رحمة الله تعالى عليه) has explained this issue in Fatawa Ridawiyyah Shareef.
Allah تعالى is most knowing.
Answered by Mufti Shams ul Huda Misbahi
Translated by Mawlana Muhammad Rashid Madani
Endorsement
This answer is correct.
Muhammad Nizam-ul-Din Razawi
Khadim-ul-Ifta Dar-ul-Uloom Ashrafiyyah Mubarakpur
20 Shawwal 1429 A.H.
This answer is correct
Muneeb-ul-Rahman
This answer is correct
Maqsud Ahmad
Data Darbar Lahore
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