What is the legal ruling on divorce?

Question:
Regarding the procedure of divorce, O Shaykh, the brothers ask a lot about divorce. What is your opinion?

Answer:
Allah legislated divorce for His servants as a mercy for them, because a woman may become a burden around her husband's neck, difficult for the husband, and unsuitable for him. It is not fitting for her to be a burden around his neck. Therefore, Allah legislated divorce: when the need calls for it, it is permissible; when there is no need, it is disliked. The five rulings apply to it: it may be permissible, recommended, forbidden, obligatory, or disliked. The five rulings apply to it. When the need calls for it, it is permissible. When the marriage becomes harmful, it becomes a recommended practice—divorce. When he takes an oath to abstain from her, it is obligatory for him to divorce her or return to her in the case of an oath to abstain. It is forbidden during menstruation or post-natal bleeding, or in a state of purity in which he had intercourse with her. It is disliked without need.