78 - Some rulings concerning divorce and the waiting period

عن عبدِ الله بنِ عُمرَ رضي الله عنهما: أنه طلَّقَ امرأتَه وهي حَائضٌ على عِهدِ رسولِ الله ﷺ تطليقةً واحدةً، فسأل عمرُ بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه رسولَ الله ﷺ عن ذلك، فتغيَّظ رسولُ الله ﷺ، ثم قال رسولُ اللهِ ﷺ: «مُرْهُ فليراجعها، ثم ليُمسِكْها حتى تطهر، ثم تحيض، ثم تطهر، ثم إن شاء أمسك بعدُ، وإن شاء طلَّق قبل أن يمسَّ، فتلك العدةُ التي أَمَر اللهُ أن تطلَّق لها النساءُ»؛ متفقٌ عليه وفي لفظ لمسلم: ((مُرْه فليراجِعها، ثم ليطلقها طاهرًا أو حاملًا))


Ibn ‘Umar narrated:

1. that he divorced his wife once when she was in her menstruation period, during the Prophet’s lifetime. 2. ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb asked God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) about this. 3. God’s Messenger was displeased. 4. God’s Messenger then said to him: ‘Order him to take her back, then to leave her until she is cleansed [from menses], then goes through another menstruation period, and is then cleansed, 5. then he may keep her after that or divorce her before touching her. 6. This is the start of the waiting period at which God, Mighty and Exalted, ordered that women may be divorced’. 7. In another version related by Muslim, the Prophet said: ‘Order him to take her back, then he can divorce her when she is clean or pregnant’.            

Related by al-Bukhari, 5251; Muslim, 1471.

Abu ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb

Abu ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ibn Nufayl belonged to the ‘Adiy branch of the Quraysh. He embraced Islam when he was young. He migrated to Madinah with  his father when he was young, before attaining puberty. At the time of the Battle of Uḥud, he was too young to fight. His first military effort was the Encounter of the Moat, i.e. al-Khandaq. He also participated in the pledge under the tree. He narrated much useful information and numerous hadiths from the Prophet, and issued many fatwas. He died in Year 74 AH 694 CE.

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