The ruling on a man saying to his wife: “You are forbidden to me if you do this matter”

The questioner:
May Allah reward you, Your Eminence, father. The questioner says: A man said to his wife, “You are forbidden to me if you do this matter,” and he intended by that divorce. Then, after a period of time, he said to her, “I have permitted you to do it.” What is obligatory upon the husband, given that the wife did not do that matter?

The Shaykh:
What did he say?

The questioner:
He says: A man said to his wife, “You are forbidden to me if you do this matter,” and he intended…

The Shaykh:
If you do it, if you do it, meaning if you do it, or if someone else does it, yes.

The questioner:
He says: And he intended by that divorce. Then, after a period of time, he said to her, “I have permitted you to do it.” What is obligatory upon the husband? Given that the wife…

The Shaykh:
It is clear that if she does it, what is the ruling? If she does it, if she does this thing, then you are forbidden to me. If he intended divorce by it, it becomes a divorce. And if he did not intend divorce by it, it becomes zihar (likening one's wife to a forbidden relative). It becomes zihar according to his intention. So it is either a divorce or zihar. But as long as she did not do it, nothing occurs: no divorce and no zihar. Because it is conditional upon a cause, and the cause did not occur. Yes.