If he declares, “You are divorced—three times—one month before Zayd arrives,” and Zayd in fact comes before the month has elapsed, no divorce is effected. Should he arrive after one full month and a further portion, the divorce takes place at the moment of his arrival. If, one day after making that oath, the husband dissolves the marriage by khulʿ and Zayd then appears a month and two days later, the khulʿ is valid and the suspended divorce is void. The reverse is the case1 if Zayd turns up a month and one hour later.

If he says, “You are divorced before my death,” she is divorced at once; the opposite wording—“with my death” or “after my death”—takes effect only at the time of death or thereafter.

Section

If he says, “You are divorced2 if you fly,” or “if you ascend3 to the heavens,” or “if you turn this stone into gold,” or anything else that is impossible, no divorce occurs. Framed in the converse manner, however, the divorce is effected immediately; this counts as an oath of negation with respect to the impossible4, such as saying, “I will kill the dead” or “I will climb into the sky.” A statement like, “You are divorced today when tomorrow comes,” is meaningless.

If he says, “You are divorced this month,” or “today,” she is divorced straightaway. If he says, “You are divorced next Saturday,” or “in Ramadan,” she is divorced at the beginning of that period; and if he later claims, “I meant the end of it,” that assertion is accepted as a matter of conscience and in court. Saying, “You are divorced until a month has passed,” causes the divorce to take effect when the month ends—unless he intended immediate application, in which case it occurs at once. Declaring, “You are divorced until a year has passed,” takes effect after twelve full months; but if he specifies “until the year,” using the definite article, the divorce becomes binding with the close of Dhu al-Hijjah.