His statement, “or its condition”: that is, he doubts whether the condition attached to the divorce occurred or not. The basic presumption is that no divorce has taken place. For example, if he made his wife’s divorce conditional upon something, then doubted whether that thing had occurred, the marriage remains intact and the divorce does not take effect.

For example, he says, “If so-and-so arrives, then my wife is divorced,” then doubts whether he arrived or not. She is not divorced, because the basic presumption, in light of the hadith and the preceding principle, is that no divorce has occurred.

“If he doubts its number, then it is one divorce, and she remains lawful for him. If he says to his two wives, ‘One of you is divorced,’ the wife he intended is divorced; otherwise, the one selected by lot …”

His statement, “If he doubts its number, then it is one divorce”: similarly, he may doubt the number of divorces. Thus, he says, “I am certain that I divorced her, but I do not know whether it was one, two, or three divorces.” It is counted as one, because the ruling is based on the lesser number.

His statement, “and she remains lawful for him”: that is, the wife. If he doubts whether he divorced her once, twice, or three times, it is counted as one, and she remains lawful to her husband, for had it been three divorces, she would not have remained lawful for him.

His statement, “If he says to his two wives, ‘One of you is divorced’”: that is, he says to his two wives, “One of you is divorced.”

His statement, “the wife he intended is divorced”: if he intended Zaynab, then it is Zaynab; and if he intended Fatimah, then it is Fatimah. This is due to the Prophet’s saying, “Actions are only by intentions, and each person shall have only what he intended” (1). The wording he uttered is capable of bearing that intention, so the wife he intended is divorced.