He answered:

No divorce takes effect according to any of the four schools of law. However, he has pronounced zihār. If he wishes to consummate the marriage, he must first offer the expiation Allah mentioned in Surah al-Mujādalah: freeing a believing slave; if he cannot find one, fasting for two consecutive months; and if he is unable to do so, feeding sixty needy people.

He—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—was asked about a man who became angry with his wife and said, “If I have intercourse with you again, it is like having intercourse with my mother beneath the coverings of the Kaaba.” Is he permitted to reconcile with her?

He answered:

All praise belongs to Allah. If he has intercourse with her, he is liable for the expiation for zihār: freeing a believing slave; if he cannot find one, fasting for two consecutive months; and if he is unable to do so, feeding sixty needy people. He must not have intercourse with her until he has offered the expiation.

He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked about two men, one of whom said to the other, “My brother, do not do these things in your wife’s presence; it is unseemly of you.” The other replied, “She is just like my mother.”

His companion said, “Why did you say that? I have heard that a wife becomes forbidden to her husband through these words.” The husband then repeated his statement, saying, “Yes, by Allah, she is like my mother to me.” Does she become forbidden to her husband through these words?