He owes the expiation for zihar, and he had intercourse with his wife while ignorant of the ruling
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Fatwa number ( 20889 )
Q: A disagreement occurred between me and my wife some time ago, and I said to her: "I now consider you like my sister" . I did not know the severity of this statement, and my intention was to frighten her so that she would not return to what she had done, which was not listening to my words in managing the affairs of the house and not insulting any of my family. During the period of disagreement, she went to her sister's house, who is my uncle's wife. When they learned about the matter, they resolved the problem, and she returned home, and things became normal, and intercourse took place. However, when I asked one of the brothers, he told me: This is considered zihar, and it is better that you ask one of the scholars about this matter. I was not convinced by his words due to my ignorance of this issue. One day, I went to one of the mosques in the city for the 'Isha' prayer, and the imam recited Surat al-Mujadilah. After finishing, he explained this surah and clarified the meanings of this surah. Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good. Knowing that I started fasting from 1/3/1420 AH, is my fasting valid, and what about the intercourse that took place in the past days? What should I do? May Allah reward you with good?
A: What happened on your part is considered zihar, and its expiation is obligatory. It is: that you free a believing slave. If you do not find a slave, then you fast two consecutive months, sixty days. If you are unable to fast, then you feed sixty poor people, each
poor person receiving one and a half kilograms of food. This order is mandatory. Since you are unable to free a slave, you move on to fasting. You mentioned that you are fasting, so you must continue fasting consecutively until you complete the two months. As for the intercourse that occurred before the expiation due to ignorance before starting the fasting, there is no blame on you for the excuse of ignorance. However, you must avoid intercourse until you complete the fasting. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Q: A disagreement occurred between me and my wife some time ago, and I said to her: "I now consider you like my sister" . I did not know the severity of this statement, and my intention was to frighten her so that she would not return to what she had done, which was not listening to my words in managing the affairs of the house and not insulting any of my family. During the period of disagreement, she went to her sister's house, who is my uncle's wife. When they learned about the matter, they resolved the problem, and she returned home, and things became normal, and intercourse took place. However, when I asked one of the brothers, he told me: This is considered zihar, and it is better that you ask one of the scholars about this matter. I was not convinced by his words due to my ignorance of this issue. One day, I went to one of the mosques in the city for the 'Isha' prayer, and the imam recited Surat al-Mujadilah. After finishing, he explained this surah and clarified the meanings of this surah. Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good. Knowing that I started fasting from 1/3/1420 AH, is my fasting valid, and what about the intercourse that took place in the past days? What should I do? May Allah reward you with good?
A: What happened on your part is considered zihar, and its expiation is obligatory. It is: that you free a believing slave. If you do not find a slave, then you fast two consecutive months, sixty days. If you are unable to fast, then you feed sixty poor people, each
poor person receiving one and a half kilograms of food. This order is mandatory. Since you are unable to free a slave, you move on to fasting. You mentioned that you are fasting, so you must continue fasting consecutively until you complete the two months. As for the intercourse that occurred before the expiation due to ignorance before starting the fasting, there is no blame on you for the excuse of ignorance. However, you must avoid intercourse until you complete the fasting. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.