About one year ago from today (Feb 13th 2009) the Brother mentioned below had divorced his wife for the 3rd time. As being the local Imam he had called be at that time to intervene when this situation arose. So I went and explained to him and his wife that since it is the 3rd time you are issuing the divorce which the wife acknowledged, you both are not catogorized as husband and wife anymore. You are nolonger permissible to each other forever unless the wife goes through the Halalah process. Both of them agreed and took the neccassary steps to sepearte in terms of Iddah etc. Keep in mind both individuals hail from Morroco and are of the Maliki Mazhab.
This was the end of the case.
But in December our masjid had invited a former Imam of one of the Masjids of our city who hails from Eygypt and studied in Alhazar. Something promted this individual to ask this Imam his divorce situation. So this Imam told him there is no divorce in anger. (la talaqa fil ighlaaq). Upon this the individual after one year has resumed normal relationships with the divorced woman who he had divorced for the 3rd time without the Halalah process. When the family came to know they requested me to intervene once again to clarify the matter. I told him the same thing which I had said one year ago. But he is persisting on the statement of the visiting Imam by saying since I was angry and I pronounced divorce it does not count.
What should I do in this matter? What is the position of the hadith the visiting Imam has stated? Is this mamool biha? That there is no such thing as divorce in anger?
Please also note that the new Imam who has replaced the visiting Imam is also from Egypt. He was also asked by the person and the same responce was given. I have attached the corrospondonce which was forwarded to me by him below.
___
QUESTION
Assalamou alaikoume wa rahmatou Allahi wa barkatouh
It is always nice and comforting talking to you. In reference to the topic we discussed over the phone last week, I am seeking your help in clarifying the issue related to my marriage or my divorce with my wife As explained, I mentioned that I pronounced the divorce under anger for the third time. After receiving a different view from one imam (Hanafi) about this topic that created confusion for me, so I did Istikhara twice (following all the conditions of it properly) and on both occasions the emphasis in my dreams was on the white colour.
Sheikh, as my reputation is being ruined due to this topic, would you kindly provide me with a letter with your signature and stamp, mentioning my name and hers, and explaining to us whether we are halal or not to each other?
Jazakoume Allaho alfa kheir and may Allah SWT reward you with the highest position in paradise. Amine.
Wa salamou alaikoume wa rahmatou Allahi wa barakatouh.
ANSWER
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the name of Allah the All-Merciful, the Ever- Merciful. Praise be to Allah (SWT), the Cherisher and the Sustainer of the worlds. Peace, prayers, and blessings be upon our illiterate Prophet Muhammad (SAWS), and his family and companions.
Dear brother
I would like to thank you for showing keenness on knowing the teachings of Islam, and we appreciate the great confidence you have in me.Answer Abu Dawud quotes the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying:
“Divorce and manumission do not count in case of Ighlaq.” Imam Ahamd says means anger; some other scholars hold it to mean doing something under force; others say it stands for insanity.
Anger may be of three types:
1 – When a person is angry and is no longer aware of what he is doing. This is likened to the insane, so divorce does not take place according to all scholars.
2 – Where a person is very angry but is still aware of what is going on, but his anger is so intense that it makes him say the words of divorce. In this case too, divorce does not take place according to the correct scholarly opinion.(Ibn Tymaya ibn el Qayyim,
3 – The ordinary type of anger which is not very intense. In this case, divorce takes place, according to all the scholars.
Ahmad, Abu Dawood and Ibn Maajah narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no divorce and no manumission in the event of ighlaaq.” The majority of scholars said that ighlaaq means compulsion or anger, i.e., intense anger. For his anger made him unaware of what he was saying, so he is like one who is unconscious, insane or drunk, because of the intensity of his anger. So divorce does not take place in this instance. If he does not realize what he is doing and cannot control his words or actions because of
the intensity of his anger, then divorce does not take place.
Ibn al-Qayyim wrote an essay on that entitled Ighaathat al-Lahfaan fi Hukm Talaaq al-Ghadbaan, in which he said the following:
Anger is of three types:
1 – That which is not so intense as to affect a person’s mind or rational thinking; he knows what he is saying and what he means. There is no dispute that in this case divorce, manumission and contracts are valid.
2 – Where his anger reaches such a limit that he no longer knows what he is doing or saying. There is no dispute that in this situation divorce does not take place. If his anger is so intense that he does not know what he is saying, there is no doubt that none of his words should be implemented in this case. The words of the mukallif (adult of sound mind) are only to be implemented if he knows what he is saying and what it means, and if the speaker really means that.
3 – The kind of anger that falls between the two categories mentioned above, where the anger goes beyond the ordinary level but not so far as to make him behave like a madman. This is an area of scholarly differences of opinion. The shar’i evidence indicates that divorce, manumission and contracts in such cases are not valid, and this is a kind of ighlaaq as the imams explained.
From Mataalib Ooli al-Nuha, 5/323; see also Zaad al-Ma’aad, 5/215.
The eminent Muslim scholar, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi is one of the scholars who give precedence to the view that divorce does not count in the second case. In setting out a criterion for distinguishing the anger with which divorce does not count, he states:
“Anger causes one to lose balance while speaking and acting, to the extent that he says and does a thing which he would not have done in normal state. This is what Ibn `Abdin mentions in his Hashiayah. We can add another criterion here, which is mentioned by Ibn Al-Qayyim in his Zad al-Ma`ad, in order to distinguish between extreme and normal anger. It is that one regrets and feels sorry for one’s previous act when anger subsides, and this indicates that pronouncement of divorce in that case is normally unintentional.”
We ask Allaah to bless us all with understanding of His religion and help us to venerate His laws.
Allah knows best
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Firstly, you have stated that both spouses are adherents of the Maliki madhab. You should explain to them the importance of adhering to their madhab and following the verdicts issued by the Scholars of their respective madhab.
The narration ‘La talaaq fi ighlaaq’ according to the vast majority of Maliki scholars have been interpreted to mean that there is no divorce under force. In fact, the same view has been given by Imam Malik (May Allah Ta’ala be pleased with him) directly. The great scholar in the Malilki madhab, Allamah Ibn Rushd (May Allah Ta’ala be pleased with him) has emphatically mentioned that it is not correct to take the meaning of ighlaaq to mean ‘anger’, rather it refers to divorce under force.
Furthermore, when we look in the Maliki books of jurisprudence, we find that the Maliki Scholars agree that divorce issued in anger is valid.
The view of it not being valid is only the opinion of some latter day Hambali Scholars; otherwise, the Malikies, Hanafies, Shafies, earlier Hambalies and the vast majority of the Scholars agree that divorce in anger takes place.
Hence, the husband and wife should be immediately separated. They can only be united again after they undergo the halala process.
Hereunder are the relevant academic referances:
الشرح الكبير للدردير – (2 / 367 الاميرية)
(أو أكره) على إيقاعه فلا يلزمه شئ في فتوى ولا قضاء لخبر مسلم: لا طلاق في إغلاق أي إكراه بل لو أكره على واحدة فأوقع أكثر فلا شئ عليه لان المكره لا يملك نفسه كالمجنون أي ولم يكن قاصدا بطلاقه حل العصمة باطنا وإلا لوقع عليه.
واعلم أن الاكراه إما شرعي أو غيره، ومذهب المدونة الذي به الفتوى أن الاكراه الشرعي طوع يقع به الطلاق جزما خلافا للمغيرة، كما لو حلف بالطلاق لا خرجت زوجته فأخرجها قاض لتحلف عند المنبر، وكما لو حلف في نصف عبد يملكه لا باعه فأعتق شريكه نصفه فقوم عليه نصيب الحالف وكمل به عتق الشريك، أو حلف لا اشتراه فأعتق الحالف نصيبه فقوم عليه نصيب شريكه لتكميل عتقه لزمه الطلاق على المذهب،
شرح مختصر خليل – (4 / 33دار الفكر
ولخبر { لا طلاق في إغلاق } أي إكراه
فتح العلي المالك في الفتوى على مذهب الإمام مالك – (3 / 304
وقال التاودي ( ومالك ليس له ) أي الطلاق ( بملزم لمكره ) بالفتح ( في الفعل ) أي في إيقاع الطلاق ( أو في القسم ) أي الحلف كقوله هي طالق أو عليه الطلاق إن فعل ذلك فلا شيء عليه لقوله صلى الله عليه وسلم { لا طلاق في إغلاق } أي إكراه
منح الجليل – (4 / 48 دار الفكر(
وعطف على سبق أيضا فقال أو أكره بضم الهمز وكسر الراء أي الزوج على طلاق زوجته فطلقها فلا يلزمه لخبر مسلم لا طلاق في إغلاق أي إكراه
شرح السنة ـ للإمام البغوى متنا وشرحا – (9 / 222المكتب الإسلامي – دمشق(
” لا طلاق ولا عتاق في إغلاق “. ومعنى الإغلاق : قيل : هو الإكراه ، كأنه يغلق عليه الباب ، ويحبس حتى يطلق. وهو قول عمر بن الخطاب ، وعلي بن أبي طالب ، وعبد الله بن عمر ، وعبد الله بن عباس ، وعبد الله بن الزبير ، وبه قال شريح ، وعطاء ، وطاووس ، وجابر بن زيد ، والحسن ، والشعبي ، وعمر بن عبد العزيز ، والقاسم ، وسالم ، وإليه ذهب مالك ، والأوزاعي ، والشافعي ، وأحمد ، وإسحاق.
الشرح الكبير للشيخ الدردير – (2 / 367
لا طلاق في إغلاق أي إكراه
البهجة في شرح التحفة – (1 / 563دار الكتب العلمية)
وقال فيه أيضاً حسبما في القرافي : ( لا طلاق في إغلاق ) . والإغلاق عند مالك الإكراه لأن الإغلاق هو الإطباق من أغلقت الباب فكأن المكره قهر على
الفعل ، وأغلق عليه حتى فعله خلافاً لمن قال : إن الإغلاق هو الغضب فإنه لا يصح قاله ابن رشد . قال : وطلاق الغضب واللجاج لازم اتفاقاً ، وقد تقدم ذلك عند قوله : وينفذ الواقع من سكران الخ . والإكراه كما قال ( خ ) يكون بخوف مؤلم من قتل أو ضرب أو سجن أو قيد أو صفع لذي مروءة بملأ أو قتل ولده أو ذهاب ماله وهل أن كثر تردد الخ . ومثل الطلاق النكاح والبيع والإقرار في عدم اللزوم بالإكراه ، وظاهر النظم أنه لا يلزمه ولو ترك التورية مع معرفته بها والاعتراف بأنه لم يدهش عنها .
البهجة في شرح التحفة – (1 / 548)
وظاهر قوله في كلمة الخ . أوقعها في حال الغضب والمنازعة أم لا . ولا ينوي في ذلك ولو مستفتياً وهو كذلك . قال ابن العربي في أحكامه الصغرى عند قوله تعالى : والذين يظاهرون منكم من نسائهم } ( المجادلة : ) الآية ولا يسقط الغضب ظهاراً ولا طلاقاً بل يلزمان الغضبان إذ في حديث خولة كان بيني وبين زوجي شيء ، وهذا يدل على نزاع أخرجه فظاهر اه . وقال ابن عرفة عن ابن رشد : يمين الغضب لازمة اتفاقاً اه . وما وقع في شرح التلقين من أنه إذا طلقها في كلمة أو كلمات في حال الغضب أو اللجاج أو المنازعة لا يلزمه شيء ويدين إذا جاء مستفتياً لأن ذلك من باب الحرج والحرج مرفوع عن هذه الأمة ولقوله عليه الصلاة والسلام : ( لا تعينوا الشيطان على أخيكم المسلم ) ولقول علي بن أبي طالب : من فرق بين المرء وزوجته بطلاق الغصب أو اللجاج فرق الله بينه وبين أحبائه يوم القيامة قاله الرسول عليه السلام اه . كل ذلك لا يصح ولا يعول عليه ، وقد أغلظ المسناوي رحمه الله على من نقل ذلك ولبس به على المسلمين . وقال : إن ذلك من الافتراء على الأئمة المعتبرين المعروفين بالتحقيق التام . قال : فالواجب تعزير من عمل بذلك أو ركن إليه أو أفتى به إن لم يعذر بجهل اه باختصار . وقد كثر السؤال عن ذلك في هذه الأزمنة وقبلها وينسب السائل ذلك لكتاب التقريب والتبيين في شرح التلقين
بلغة السالك – (2 / 351 دار الكتب العلمية)
تنبيه : يلزم طلاق الغضبان ولو اشتد غضبه خلافا لبعضهم ودعوى أنه من قبيل الإكراه باطل وكل هذا ما لم يغب عقله بحيث لا يشعر بما صدر منه فإنه كالمجنون .
حاشية الدسوقي – (2 / 366دار الفكر)
تنبيه يلزم طلاق الغضبان ولو اشتد غضبه خلافا لبعضهم كذا ذكر السيد البليدي في حاشيته
And Allah knows best
Wassalam u Alaikum
Ml. Ismail Moosa,
Student Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In’aamiyyah
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