“Your soul is divorced,” she is not divorced, because the soul may depart from the body, though it departs only at death. As long as she is alive, her soul remains. Which is greater: the soul or the tip of a finger? The soul is greater. A person cannot remain without a soul, whereas she may remain without a finger. Therefore, the sound view in this issue is that if he attributes the divorce to her soul, she is divorced, since the soul cannot depart except through death.

His statement, “the hair”: if he says, “Your hair is divorced,” she is not divorced, because hair is regarded as something detached.

His statement, “the nail”: likewise, if he says, “Your nail is divorced,” she is not divorced, because a nail is regarded as something detached; it has no life within it.

His statement, “the tooth”: if he says, “All your teeth are divorced,” she is not divorced, because all of these are regarded as detached. Hence, if a person touches them while in a state of ablution—according to the view that touching a woman lustfully invalidates ablution—his ablution is not invalidated. Likewise, if he touches her skin lustfully with his nail, his ablution is not invalidated, because these are not bodily parts; rather, they are separable appendages which may come off and disappear, and which have no life within them.

His statement, “and the like”: such as if he says, “Your hearing, your sight, or your saliva is divorced”; she is not divorced. Hearing is an intangible attribute, and sight is an intangible attribute. Saliva is a physical substance, but detached; likewise sweat is a physical substance, but detached. However, if he says, “Your ear is divorced,” she is divorced, because it is a bodily part and an organ.

Thus, divorcing a part is like divorcing the whole, unless that part is regarded as detached, such as the nail, hair, tooth, saliva, sweat, and whatever