Assalamualaikum Warahmatullah Mufti Sahib
If a person divorced his wife, then they started living separately, there was no contact between them for four months nor any relations were established, is their Nikah still intact? Or is that woman free to move on with her Nikah with someone else.
JazakAllahu Khaira
الجواب وباللہ التوفیق
If the husband did not perform ruju’ (i.e. reconcile) with his wife, neither verbally or through any physical action(s), and the period of three menstrual cycles passed, then one Talaq-e-Ba’in will take effect and the Nikah with her husband will become invalidated. The woman will be free at this point to move on to perform Nikah with another man or renew her Nikah with her previous husband.
فإن طلقہا ولم یراجعہا؛ بل ترکہا حتی انقضت عدتہا، بانت۔ (بدائع الصنائع ۴؍۳۸۷ دار الکتب العلمیۃ بیروت)
إذا کان الطلاق بائنا دون الثلاث فلہ أن یتزوجہا في العدۃ وبعد انقضائہا۔
(ہندیۃ، کتاب الطلاق، الباب السادس فيالرجعۃ، فصل فیما تحل بہ المطلقۃ، مکتبہ زکریا دیوبند قدیم ۱/۴۷۲، جدید ۱/۵۳۵)
فقط واللہ اعلم بالصواب