Answered by: Ustadha Siddiqa al-Farsiyyah
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
Is the word “animal” uttered with no words uttered before or after it, with or without the intention of divorce a kinaya word?
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
The rukn (main integral) of divorce is that a specific term be used, whether the term is ṣarīh (explicit) or kināyah (allusive). [1] The word ‘animal’ cannot be classified as an explicit word since it contains neither the word talāq nor a derivative of it. Similarly, it cannot be classified as an allusive word since it does not allude to divorce. There is no connection between divorce and this word, nor is it an allusive command towards the wife on the husband’s behalf. It simply can be classified as an insult.
[1] Raddul Muhtār 3/230, Dārul Fikr Beirūt
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Ustadha Siddiqa al-Farsiyyah
Checked and approved Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham