Pronouncing Divorce to Sever Family Ties
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Fatwa No. ( 8229 )
Q: A severe disagreement and quarrel arose between me and my brother’s son, which led my anger to pronouncing divorce once only, stating that I would not enter his house for the rest of my life. After the anger subsided, I regretted greatly having said that, or at least having made an exception, since my daughter is married to his brother, he is my neighbor, and we pray in the same mosque. The situation has become difficult for me, especially if something were to happen—may Allah forbid—such as death or illness requiring a visit, and how I would handle it. I hope for your ruling: Is it permissible for me to visit them in such cases, or is there an expiation that would allow me to enter their house whenever I wish and they wish it, given that I only pronounced divorce once? Please rule on this, may Allah reward you.
A : If the situation is as described, enter your brother’s son’s house to maintain family ties and fulfill the right of neighborliness. Then, if your intention in swearing an oath by divorce was to prevent yourself from entering your brother’s son’s house, and not to divorce your wife, you must pay the expiation for an oath, which is: feeding ten poor people, or clothing them, or freeing a believing slave. If you cannot do so, fast for three days. However, if your intention in swearing the oath was to divorce your wife, then that counts as one divorce if you enter his house. You may take your wife back as long as she is in the waiting period, provided this divorce is not the third of three divorces.
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Q: A severe disagreement and quarrel arose between me and my brother’s son, which led my anger to pronouncing divorce once only, stating that I would not enter his house for the rest of my life. After the anger subsided, I regretted greatly having said that, or at least having made an exception, since my daughter is married to his brother, he is my neighbor, and we pray in the same mosque. The situation has become difficult for me, especially if something were to happen—may Allah forbid—such as death or illness requiring a visit, and how I would handle it. I hope for your ruling: Is it permissible for me to visit them in such cases, or is there an expiation that would allow me to enter their house whenever I wish and they wish it, given that I only pronounced divorce once? Please rule on this, may Allah reward you.
A : If the situation is as described, enter your brother’s son’s house to maintain family ties and fulfill the right of neighborliness. Then, if your intention in swearing an oath by divorce was to prevent yourself from entering your brother’s son’s house, and not to divorce your wife, you must pay the expiation for an oath, which is: feeding ten poor people, or clothing them, or freeing a believing slave. If you cannot do so, fast for three days. However, if your intention in swearing the oath was to divorce your wife, then that counts as one divorce if you enter his house. You may take your wife back as long as she is in the waiting period, provided this divorce is not the third of three divorces.
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.