A man who divorced his wife twice and then she sought a divorce from him: is she divorced from him irrevocably or not?
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The questioner : ...divorced her twice and then she sought a divorce from him; is she divorced from him irrevocably at that point or not? And if the answer is no, is it permissible for a man who has only one divorce remaining to refuse to pronounce the divorce until she seeks a divorce from him, so that he can take her back if he wishes?
The Shaykh : The answer is that khul' is not a divorce and is not counted as a divorce. As for whether it is permissible to refuse to pronounce the divorce?
We tell him: if he does not want to pronounce the divorce, who can force him? If the man does not want to divorce, no one can force him to do so. If he is told, "Divorce her," and he says, "No," there is no blame on him for that.
The questioner : What if she wants a divorce?
The Shaykh : If the woman wants a divorce, he is free; if he does not wish to, he does not divorce her. However, if there is a legitimate religious reason, it is recommended that he respond to it.
The Shaykh : The answer is that khul' is not a divorce and is not counted as a divorce. As for whether it is permissible to refuse to pronounce the divorce?
We tell him: if he does not want to pronounce the divorce, who can force him? If the man does not want to divorce, no one can force him to do so. If he is told, "Divorce her," and he says, "No," there is no blame on him for that.
The questioner : What if she wants a divorce?
The Shaykh : If the woman wants a divorce, he is free; if he does not wish to, he does not divorce her. However, if there is a legitimate religious reason, it is recommended that he respond to it.