Others have contended that this course is permissible: if the wife is at fault, the two arbitrators may take from her whatever sum they both judge appropriate. The separation then counts as khulʿ (a compensatory divorce) and constitutes a single irrevocable pronouncement in every case, whether or not they actually receive anything from her.

The arbitrators are not entitled to dissolve the marriage with more than one declaration. Some jurists hold that, should both arbitrators concur in pronouncing three divorces, the judgment would still be binding; yet the first view is the one ultimately adopted by Mālik.

If the husband expressly authorizes the arbitrators to separate the couple with three pronouncements, their decision is binding. By contrast, if one arbitrator rules for separation while the other does not, or one decrees compensation while the other objects, nothing takes effect except what they agree upon together. The same rule applies to any pair of arbitrators appointed to decide any matter.

Messengers sent only to convey a divorce are different: once the declaration reaches either messenger, the divorce becomes effective.

Yahyā ibn Yahyā would issue the legal opinion that, whenever it is necessary to dispatch the two arbitrators, they should remain in a trustworthy house, and this has remained the accepted practice among us.