Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (13/38)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

An exception to our statement, “during a period of purity in which he has not had intercourse with her,” is when she is pregnant: if he has intercourse with her and then divorces her afterward, the divorce is Sunnah-compliant, not innovated. For this reason, it would have been preferable had the author, may Allah have mercy on him, added a fifth condition and said: “during a period of purity in which he has not had intercourse with her and her pregnancy has not become apparent.” For once her pregnancy has become apparent, it is permissible to divorce her even if he has had intercourse with her, because he is divorcing her at the commencement of her waiting period; the waiting period of a pregnant woman ends with delivery.

Thus, the conditions are five: first, he divorces her only once, during a period of purity in which he has not had intercourse with her and in which her pregnancy has not become apparent, and then leaves her until her waiting period expires. This is the Sunnah. If he divorces her twice or more, it is innovated; or if he divorces her during menstruation or postnatal bleeding, it is innovated; or during a period of purity in which he had intercourse with her and her pregnancy has not become apparent, it is innovated; or if he follows it with another pronouncement of divorce, it is innovated.

Thus, three pronouncements of divorce are forbidden, …

His statement, “Thus, three pronouncements of divorce are forbidden,” means [that they are forbidden] during a period of purity in which he has not had intercourse with her. A man divorced his wife with three pronouncements during the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, so the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, stood and said: “Is the Book of Allah being treated as a plaything while I am among you?!” A man then stood and said, “O Messenger of Allah, shall I not kill him?!” (1) This indicates that it is forbidden. It is also a form of mockery of the verses of Allah, for Allah—Exalted is He—has provided people with latitude in the matter of divorce. When a man pronounces divorce three times, it is as though he has hastened that in which Allah has provided latitude, thereby opposing Allah’s ruling. Moreover, Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, held them to these three pronouncements as a punishment for them (2),

(1) Recorded by al-Nasai in The Book of Divorce, in the chapter on pronouncing three divorces together and the stern warning concerning it, 6:142, on the authority of Mahmud ibn Labid, may Allah be pleased with him. Al-Albani graded it authentic in Ghayat al-Maram, no. 164. (2) Its source has previously been cited on p. 20.

ويستثنى من قولنا: «في طهر لم يجامعها فيه» إذا كانت حاملاً وجامعها وطلقها بعد الجماع، فالطلاق طلاق سنة، وليس طلاق بدعة، ولهذا لو أضاف المؤلف ﵀ قيداً خامساً لكان أولى، فيقول: «في طهر لم يجامعها فيه ولم يتبين حملها» لأنه إذا تبين حملها جاز طلاقها، ولو كان قد جامعها؛ لأنه يكون مطلقاً للعدة، حيث إن عدة الحامل بوضع الحمل. فصارت القيود خمسة: الأول: يطلقها مرة، في طهر لم يجامع فيه، ولم يتبين حملها، وتركها حتى تنقضي عدتها فهذا هو السنة، فإذا طلقها مرتين فأكثر فبدعة، أو في حيض، أو نفاس فبدعة، أو في طهر جامعها فيه ولم يتبين حملها فبدعة، أو ألحقها بطلقة أخرى فبدعة. فَتَحْرُمُ الثَّلَاثُ إِذاً، .................................. قوله: «فتحرم الثلاث إذاً» يعني في طهر لم يجامع فيه؛ لأن رجلاً طلق امرأته في عهد النبي ﷺ ثلاثاً، فقام الرسول ﷺ فقال: «أيلعب بكتاب الله وأنا بين أظهركم؟!» حتى قام رجل فقال: يا رسول الله ألا أقتله (١)؟! فدل هذا على أنه محرم، ولأنه نوع من الاستهزاء بآيات الله؛ لأن الله ـ تعالى ـ جعل في الطلاق فسحة للإنسان، وإذا طلق ثلاثاً فكأنه تعجل ما جعل الله فيه فسحة فيكون مضاداً لحكم الله، ولأن عمر بن الخطاب ﵁ ألزمهم بهذه الثلاث عقوبة لهم (٢)،

(١) أخرجه النسائي في الطلاق/ باب الثلاث المجموعة وما فيه من التغليظ (٦/ ١٤٢) عن محمود بن لبيد ﵁، وصححه الألباني كما في غاية المرام (١٦٤). (٢) سبق تخريجه ص (٢٠).