honey, wax, bee eggs, and other things. So we say: divorce does not take effect, because an allusive expression does not take effect without intention. Yet in our local usage in al-Qasim, they regard it as explicit. Even ordinary people do not say, “So-and-so divorced his wife”; rather, they say, “So-and-so has set his wife free.” Thus, in their usage, it is explicit.

We previously mentioned in the Book of Sales that the correct view is that chosen by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him): words are garments for meanings. Since they are garments for meanings, they vary according to custom and time. The clothing of people here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia differs, for example, from the clothing of people in Africa, Egypt, Syria, and the like. Accordingly, a word may be explicit among one people, while among another it is an allusive, non-explicit expression; indeed, among some people it may not indicate it at all. What Shaykh al-Islam said is unquestionably correct.

His statement, “You are bariyyah (free of liability)”: This is an unusual allusive expression. If one says, “You are bariyyah,” no one would naturally think that it means, “You are divorced,” for what comes to mind is that she is free of an illness, cleared of an accusation against her, free of pregnancy, or discharged from a debt she owes. Nevertheless, they say that bariyyah is an allusion to divorce—that is, you are free of the rights your husband has over you. Yet she is not released from her husband’s rights over her unless she is divorced.

His statement, “You are ba'in (irrevocably separated)”: This is a close allusive expression, undoubtedly closer than bariyyah—that is, separated from husbands.

His statement, “You are battah (completely cut off)”: This is a clear allusive expression, because it derives from batt, meaning to cut off. One says, “I settled this matter,” meaning that he decided and carried it out. Thus, “You are battah” means: you are cut off from your husband.