The Third Condition: Specifying the Wife.

The Shaykh : The third condition is specifying the wife. Specifying the wife means naming her by her name, or describing her with a description that applies only to her, or pointing to her if she is present. So, specification is done by one of three things. How many are they, man? How is the wife specified? By naming her by her name. For example: a man has two daughters, one is Zaynab and the other is Fatimah. He says: "I have married you one of my daughters." Which one? He must specify. But if he says: "I have married you my daughter Fatimah," is this specification or not? It is specification. Good. He has two daughters, one is tall and the other is short. He says: "I have married you my short daughter." This description does not apply to the other. Is this specification or not? It is specification. It is valid. His daughters are in the assembly with him, but they are veiled. He says: "I have married you this one," and points to her. Is this valid or not? "I have married you this one." Is this specification or not? It is specification. It is valid. Yes, perhaps you will say: Did not the man of Madyan say to Musa: "I want to marry you one of my two daughters"? The answer: Yes, or no? Yes. He said: "One of my two daughters." He did not say "this one" or "that one." But we know that Musa specified her. So, "one of my two daughters" was for the choice, meaning: take whichever you wish. So he specified her, and he married her to him. Here, he specified her after the ambiguity, and this is the correct view.