A man said to his wife, “You are haram (forbidden) to me, like the haram of intoxicants”; is this zihar?

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, a man said to his wife, “You are haram to me, like the haram of intoxicants”; is this zihar?

Answer:
It depends on his intention. If he says, “You are like my mother,” or “like a pig,” or “like intoxicants,” this is a declaration of her being forbidden, and it carries the ruling of zihar. It has the ruling of zihar, unless he intends by it divorce, in which case it is a divorce, or he intends by it an oath, in which case it is an oath, according to his intention. However, the apparent ruling is that if he does not intend anything, it is zihar. Yes.