𝗠𝗲𝗻'𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 (12)

If Men Followed Proper Islamic Guidelines on Divorce, Fewer Women Would Be Divorced Question: I had a dispute with one wife and the other wife said she would contact that wife's father and brothers to ask them to discipline her and prevent her from certain matters. I felt that she was trying to create problems, which made me angry. In response, I forbade her from speaking to unrelated men over the phone. Out of a desire to deter and prohibit her, I said, “If you contact her family—whether men, women, or their representatives—you are divorced.” My sole intention was to prevent and warn her. Sheikh ’Abdulhameed Az-Zu’kari ḥafidhahullāh said: The correct ruling in this matter is that I was not entirely convinced that this statement qualifies as a mere threat, even though Sheikh Al-Islam (may Allāh have mercy on him) issued a fatwa considering such statements as threats. However, I struggled to fully accept this view because the wording is explicit, and the divorce is conditional. The majority of scholars maintain that if a man ties his wife's divorce to a specific action, the divorce takes effect once that action occurs, and he has no right to revoke it. We seek Allāh’s guidance and assistance. One time, a man named Rizq Ar-Raymi had a Facebook page with over forty thousand followers. He posted on his page: “Anyone who has a question about divorce should call this number,” and he listed my number. At that time, I was in Saudi Arabia. Whenever my phone rang, I would immediately assume it was a question about divorce. Even my children, who were sometimes with me in the car, noticed this, and I would say, “This is another divorce question.” Eventually, I told him, “Brother, please delete my number.” Divorce issues, particularly in Saudi Arabia, are overwhelming. Statistics show that 80% of women are divorced; they exist in the millions, and official records indicate that multitude number of divorces occur every hour. These matters have consumed so much of my time that I can barely manage my other responsibilities. Even though fatwas on such matters should be referred to official religious authorities, people constantly contact me with questions about divorce. May Allāh help us. If people followed the proper Islamic approach to divorce, divorces would hardly occur, only when absolutely necessary. If they adhered to the hadith of Ibn ’Umar—where the Prophet ﷺ instructed him to take his wife back until she experiences two menstrual cycles and a period of purity—then no one would rush into divorce unless they were absolutely determined. As for those overcome by rage, they would not issue a divorce. Most divorces today happen in moments of anger. A man may become angry and impulsively divorce his wife, but in the hadith of Ibn ʿUmar, the Prophet ﷺ prohibited divorcing a woman during her menstrual cycle or in a period of purity in which intimacy occurred. If these guidelines were followed, when would a man actually issue a divorce? Divorce would only take place when a man is completely certain that he no longer wishes to remain with his wife. If he has been intimate with her, he must wait for that period of purity to end, followed by her menstrual cycle, before he can proceed with divorce. Unfortunately, some women also contribute to these situations. When they see their husband angry, they provoke him by saying, “If you’re a real man, divorce me!” In such moments, the husband may lose control, fall into the devil’s trap, and hastily utter divorce—only to regret it later, leaving both of them in tears. May Allāh grant us all wisdom and guidance. https://t.me/Menzbenefits/26