What is the ruling on a father who swore to divorce his wife if his son’s wedding takes place?

The questioner : There is a man in my house who was extremely upset.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : He was supposed to have a wedding party.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : He got upset and said, “I divorce you if there is no wedding,” meaning it is like this for the first time. What is the solution, my master?

The Shaykh : He is married.

The questioner : A wedding for his children; he is married, yes.

The Shaykh : He is married.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : And how many years has he been married?

The questioner : By Allah, for twenty-five years, my master.

The Shaykh : Okay, and does he usually swear oaths like this?

The questioner : No, he does not usually do that.

The Shaykh : He does not usually do that.

The questioner : I mean, a person might make a mistake once, but it is not three or four times as they say.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : And he was extremely upset, meaning he was very angry.

The Shaykh : And what did he say now?

The questioner : He said, “I divorce you if there is no wedding.”

The Shaykh : And then the wedding took place.

The questioner : It has not happened yet.

The Shaykh : You don't have anything.

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : And it is going to happen.

The questioner : Wait, yes.

The Shaykh : If it happens, he will have to pay the expiation for an oath.

The questioner: Yes, my master.

The Shaykh : If the wedding takes place.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : He will have to pay the expiation for an oath.

The questioner : How do you mean, what is its interpretation?

The Shaykh : The expiation for an oath.

The questioner : What is the expiation for an oath?

The Shaykh : I mean, he has to feed ten poor people.

The questioner : Once.

The Shaykh : Each poor person gets one serving.

The questioner : Yes, ten poor people, each poor person gets one serving.

The Shaykh : Yes, but there is no divorce.

The questioner : There is no divorce.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : Okay, can he have intercourse with his wife and sleep with her?

The Shaykh: How.

The questioner : Before he pays the expiation, can he sleep with his wife and have intercourse with her? No.

The Shaykh : I am saying, can he?

The questioner : He can.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : And afterwards, meaning at any time, he can pay the expiation.

The Shaykh : Yes, this is if the wedding takes place.

The questioner : If the wedding takes place.

The Shaykh : And if the wedding does not take place, he does not have to pay the expiation for an oath.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : As for his wife, she is lawful to him in any case.

The questioner : May Allah bless you, my master.

The Shaykh : And may He reward you.

The questioner: Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, the mercy of Allah, and His blessings. Yes, I think I have clarified the matter to you, so look into it and agree. And upon you be peace, the mercy of Allah, and His blessings, and His forgiveness.

The questioner : How are you, my Shaykh?

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, I am well.

The questioner : How is Harith?

The Shaykh : And how are you, my Harith?

The questioner : We praise Allah to you.

The Shaykh : And how is that other Harith named Muhammad?

The questioner: Good, if Allah wills.

The Shaykh : Have you seen him, or did he call out to you, or did you call out to him?

The questioner : I have not called out to him yet.

The Shaykh : Oh, glory be to Allah, meaning you are all alike, some of you resemble each other.

The questioner : Resemblance.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : Yes, there is resemblance between us.

The Shaykh : How are you?

The questioner : Welcome, Shaykh.

The Shaykh : You are welcome.

The questioner : May Allah keep you safe. Before I speak now from Saudi Arabia.

The Shaykh : Yes, yes.

The questioner: All right.

The Shaykh : I contradicted him.

The questioner : I contradicted him.

The Shaykh : Why?

The questioner : By Allah, Shaykh, circumstances arose and my trip from Egypt was delayed, so I did not return to Jordan.

The Shaykh : Okay, and your son?

The questioner : My son is with me; I did not bring him back to Jordan.

The Shaykh : And you will not return.

The questioner : No, I will not return with him.

The Shaykh : Why?

The questioner : By Allah, my Shaykh, I stopped by my friend in Cairo.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : So we ask Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) that there be good in it.

The Shaykh : If Allah wills.

The questioner : He gave us good news and gave us some medicine after he saw some images of the brain and head, and...

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : He said, “You need to use this medicine and check yourself, if Allah wills, some of the weak cells will return to health.”

The Shaykh : Okay, in your return to your country with your son and with the medicine for him, the healer, if Allah wills, this is good for us, even if it does not match our desire.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And we were waiting for your arrival to us.

The questioner : If Allah wills, we will have a visit to you, if Allah wills.

The Shaykh : Good, if Allah wills.

The questioner : Shaykh, I have been trying to call for more than half an hour because some questions have troubled me. Tomorrow, if Allah wills, I was asked to send someone to ask us about such and such... so some questions arose for me, and I did not find them except in the books of jurisprudence, and the books of jurisprudence, as you know, Shaykh, do not provide evidence, but rather some opinions and some statements.