Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (13/468)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

concerns an irrevocably divorced woman: she is entitled to housing in all circumstances, and to maintenance if she is pregnant. Revocably divorced women are not included here, because regarding them Allah did not say, “Lodge them”; rather, Allah said, “Do not turn them out of their homes.” Rather, they remain in their homes, for prohibiting something entails commanding its opposite. Thus, the indication that housing is obligatory for a revocably divorced woman, derived from His saying, “Do not turn them out of their homes,” is clearer than that derived from His saying, “Lodge them where you yourselves live.” For His saying, “Lodge them,” may apply to one who is not already in the house, such that she is told, “Come and live there.” As for the revocably divorced woman, she is already in the house.

They said: Allah only commanded that she be housed in the home in order to safeguard his lineage, and He did not obligate him to provide her maintenance because she is irrevocably divorced from him. Thus, the command to house her is not because it is her right, but in order to safeguard his lineage. For this reason, the scholars said concerning His saying, “where you yourselves live,” that “from” denotes partiality, while “where” is an adverb of place. That is, lodge them in part of what you occupy—in other words, with you in the house. You are not required to provide more than that, but only according to your means.

The Quranic evidence for this view is very strong. However, it is complicated by the hadith of Fatimah bint Qays, may Allah be pleased with her, to whom the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said: “You are entitled to neither maintenance nor housing.” This is an explicit text.

However, it is reported in Sahih al-Bukhari (1) that she, may Allah be pleased with her, was living in an isolated house and wished to move from it out of fear for her safety. In such a case, the husband is not obliged to rent her a dwelling in which she may live. Thus, the meaning of his saying, “He is not obliged to provide you housing,” is that you cannot compel him to house you

(1) [Sahih al-Bukhari], Book of Divorce, Chapter: The Account of Fatimah bint Qays; no. 5325, narrated from Aishah.

في البائن، فلها السكنى بكل حال، والنفقةُ إن كانت حاملاً، ولا يدخل فيه الرجعيات هنا؛ لأن الرجعيات ما قال الله: ﴿أَسْكِنُوهُنَّ﴾، بل قال الله: ﴿لَا تُخْرِجُوهُنَّ مِنْ بُيُوتِهِنَّ﴾ بل يبقين في بيوتهن، فإن النهي عن الشيء أمر بضده، فتكون دلالة وجوب السكنى للرجعية من قوله: ﴿لَا تُخْرِجُوهُنَّ مِنْ بُيُوتِهِنَّ﴾ أوضح من قوله: ﴿أَسْكِنُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ سَكَنْتُمْ﴾ فإن قوله: ﴿أَسْكِنُوهُنَّ﴾ قد يكون لمن ليست في البيت، فيقال لها: تعالي واسكني، أما الرجعية فهي في البيت. وقالوا: إنما أمر الله بإسكانها في البيت تحصيناً لِمَائِه، ولم يجعل عليه نفقة؛ لأنها بائن منه، فيكون الأمر بالإسكان لا لأنه حق لها، ولكن من أجل تحصين مائه، ولهذا قال العلماء في قوله: ﴿مِنْ حَيْثُ سَكَنْتُمْ﴾: «مِنْ» للتبعيض، و «حيث»: ظرف للمكان، يعني أسكنوهن بعض ما سكنتم، أي: عندكم في البيت، ولا تُكَلَّفُونَ أكثر من ذلك، بل من وُسعكم. ودلالة القرآن على هذا القول قوية جداً، لكن يعكر عليه حديث فاطمة بنت قيس ﵂ حيث قال لها النبي ﷺ: «ليس لك نفقة ولا سكنى»، وهذا نص صريح. لكن قد ورد في صحيح البخاري (١) أنها ﵂ كانت في بيتٍ وحشٍ، فأرادت الانتقال عنه خوفاً على نفسها، وفي هذه الحال لا يلزم الزوج بأن يستأجر لها ما تسكنه، فيكون معنى قوله: «ليس لك عليه سكنى»، أي: لا تلزمينه بأن يسكنك

(١) في الطلاق/ باب قصة فاطمة بنت قيس .. (٥٣٢٥) عن عائشة ﵂.