Fatwa No : 84479
Does a divorce occur if it is given jokingly?

Does a divorce occur if it is given jokingly?

What do Islamic scholars say about the following issue?
My name is Aneela bint Naik Muhammad. My husband's name is Waheed bin Murad Bakhsh. We are currently facing some domestic issues, and thus we are both present (for clarification).
One night, during a conversation between my husband and me, I said to him, "I don’t like you. My brothers arranged this marriage, that’s why I came to you. So, please divorce me."
Upon hearing this, my husband said:
"Aneela, I divorce you. Aneela, I divorce you. Aneela, I divorce you."
After that, he said that he did not truly intend to divorce me from the heart, he was only joking, and that a divorce doesn’t count without witnesses.
I respectfully request guidance from the scholars:
I also do not wish for a divorce from my heart.
So please tell us:
Did the divorce take effect or not?
If it did, kindly suggest a solution that would allow us to resume life as husband and wife.

الجوابُ حامِدا ًو مُصلیِّا ً

It should be clear that, according to Islamic law (Shari'ah), the presence of witnesses is not necessary for a divorce (talaq) to be valid, and neither is the intention (niyyah) required for a clear (explicit) divorce. Rather, even without intention, if the husband pronounces the explicit words of divorce, the divorce is considered valid under Shari'ah.
Therefore, in the situation in question, the husband of the inquirer named "Aneela," by saying the words "Aneela, I give you talaq (divorce)" three times, has caused all three divorces to take effect upon his wife, thereby establishing an irrevocable prohibition (ḥurmat-e-mughallazah).
As a result, it is no longer permissible for them to reconcile, nor can they remarry unless a valid Halalah (intervening marriage) takes place.
However, after the completion of her waiting period (iddah), the inquirer, Aneela, is free to marry someone else if she chooses.

مأخَذُ الفَتوی

ففي سنن أبي داؤد لأبي داؤد سليمان بن الأشعث الأزدي السجستاني (المتوفى: ۲۷۵): حدثنا القعنبي، حدثنا عبد العزيز يعني ابن محمد، عن عبد الرحمن بن حبيب، عن عطاء بن أبي رباح، عن ابن ماهك، عن أبي هريرة، أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: " ثلاث جدهن جد، وهزلهن جد: النكاح، والطلاق، والرجعة " (۲/۲۵۹ باب في الطلاق على الهزل) -
و في المبسوط لمحمد بن أحمد بن أبي سهل شمس الأئمة السرخسي (المتوفى: ۴۸۳هـ) : قال: فإن تزوج بها الثاني على قصد أن يحللها للزوج الأول من غير أن يشترط ذلك في العقد صح النكاح ويثبت الحل للأول إذا دخل بها الثاني وفارقها اھ (6/ 16)
في النتف في الفتاوى لأبي الحسن علي بن الحسين بن محمد السعدي، الحنفي (المتوفى: ۴۶۱هـ): وأما اللفظ المقرون بالتكرار فهو على أربعة أوجه أحدهما أن يقول أنت طالق طالق طالق والثاني ان يقول انت طالق وطالق وطالق والثالث ان يقول انت طالق انت طالق انت طالق والرابع ان يقول انت طالق ثم طالق ثم طالق فأن كانت المرأة مدخولا بها في هذه الوجوه طلقت ثلاثا اهـ (۱/۳۳۹، 340)) - والله تعالى أعلم بالصواب