Husband said "Just after 15 days of marriage, I left (or separated from) my wife, went to earn to the Middle East and supported the family for many years"

Name

Question:

Before I put the question forward I would like to provide some background information.

I got married in the year 2000 and I work in the Middle East. After 15 days of my marriage, I left my wife in India and joined my job in the Middle East. Later after few years my wife joined me and now we have a happy family with four kids.

Coming to the question, I was under a heated discussion with my brother where we were arguing about shouldering of responsibilities by us and during this argument I told him that "Just after 15 days of marriage, I left or separated from my wife (in urdu apni biwi ko chor de kar)" went to earn to the middle east and supported the family for many years referring to early years after my marriage i.e., year 2000 and later. I was trying to emphasize on the sacrifice that I did by getting separated from my wife just after marriage and going to earn to support my family (i.e. brothers & sisters). I made this statement in a spur of a moment without any clear intentions, immediately I recognised that the statement
"I left or separated from my wife (in urdu apni biwi ko chor de kar)" can also have the meaning of divorce, therefore immediately afterwards in the same sequence I clarified that "I mean I kept my wife in India and went to middle east".

Please clarify and explain, does my above statement affect my nikah. I am really very disturbed.

Also, do allusive words of divorce with or without any specific intention, especially when referring to the past as in the above scenario when no divorce had taken place, affect the nikah or cause divorce.

I desperately seek your answer or shariah ruling in this regard.

Answer:

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Divorce did not take place due to you uttering “I left or separated from my wife” without the intention of divorcing your wife.

في البحر الرائق: قوله ( لا تطلق بها إلا بنية أو دلالة الحال ) أي لا تطلق بالكنايات قضاء إلا بإحدى هذين .... ( وبعد أسطر ) .... قيدنا بالقضاء لأنه لا يقع ديانة إلا بالنية ولا عبرة بدلالة الحال ( البحر الرائق: 3/298 )

وفي الدر المختار: فالكنايات لا تطلق بها قضاء إلا بنية أو دلالة الحال، وقال ابن عابدين رحمه الله: (قوله قضاء) قيد به لأنه [لا] يقع ديانة بدون النية [ تنبيه: قد سقط "لا" من نسخة دار المعرفة لكن الصحيح إثباتها كما في النسخ الأخرى وكما في عبارة البحر المذكورة ]، ولو وجدت دلالة الحال فوقوعه بواحد من النية أو دلالة الحال إنما هو في القضاء فقط كما هو صريح البحر وغيره ( رد المحتار: 4/516 ، دار المعرفة)

وفي باب الكنايات من الدر المختار: ونحو اعتدي واستبرئي رحمك، أنت واحدة، أنت حرة، اختاري أمرك بيدك سرحتك، فارقتك لا يحتمل السب والرد، ففي حالة الرضا) أي غير الغضب والمذاكرة (تتوقف الأقسام) الثلاثة تأثيرا (على نية)، وقال ابن عابدين رحمه الله: (قوله سرحتك) من السراح بفتح السين: وهو الإرسال أي أرسلتك لأني طلقتك أو لحاجة لي، وكذا فارقتك لأني طلقتك أو في هذا المنزل. نهر ( رد المحتار: 4/520 ، دار المعرفة)

And Allah Ta'ala knows best

Mufti Faizal Riza
26/8/2013

Checked and approved by:

Mufti Ebrahim Desai

Mufti Emran Vawda

Darul Ifta Australia
www.fatwa.org.au

DISCLAIMER:
Darul Ifta Australia answers questions pertaining to Shariah. Thereafter, some of these questions and answers are placed for public view on www.fatwa.org.au for educational purposes. However, many of these answers are unique to a particular scenario and cannot be taken as a basis to establish a ruling in another situation or another environment. Darul Ifta Australia bears no responsibility with regards to these questions being used out of their intended context.

The Shariah ruling herein given is based specifically on the question posed and should be read in conjunction with the question.
Darul Ifta Australia bears no responsibility to any party who may or may not act on this answer and is being hereby exempted from loss or damage howsoever caused.
This answer may not be used as evidence in any Court of Law without prior written consent of Darul Ifta Australia.
Any or all links provided in our emails, answers and articles are restricted to the specific material being cited. Such referencing should not be taken as an endorsement of other contents of that website.

Support Darul Ifta Australia by donating.

DISCLAIMER:

Darul Ifta Australia provides answers to queries pertaining to Islamic law. Some answers are subsequently published publically for educational purposes. The queries are taken at face value since we have no way to investigate the actual circumstances or context. Fatwas (answers; verdicts) are unique to the stated query and cannot be used to establish another ruling or applied to another situation. We bear no responsibility for circumstances and situations where incorrect or incomplete information is given in the question. We are also not responsible if the answers are misinterpreted, applied incorrectly or taken out of context. We reserve the right to revise and update answers as and when needed and required.

All fatwas given on this site are based specifically on the question posed and should be read in conjunction with the question.
Darul Ifta Australia bears no responsibility to any party who may or may not act on any fatwa and is being hereby exempted from loss or damage howsoever caused.
No fatwa may be used as evidence in any court of law without prior written consent of Darul Ifta Australia.
Any or all links provided in our emails, fatwas and articles are restricted to the specific material being cited. Such referencing should not be taken as an endorsement of other contents of that website.