The Prescribed Way of Talaq (Divorce)
Q: What is the prescribed way of Talaq (divorce pronounced by a husband) in the light of the Qur'an and the Sunnah?
A: The prescribed way is that the husband declares the divorce one time when his wife is pregnant or in a state of purity and he has not engaged in any sexual relations with her. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: O Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)! When you divorce women, divorce them at their ‘Iddah (prescribed periods) It was reported in the Two Sahih (authentic) Books of Hadith (i.e. Al-Bukhari and Muslim) on the authority of Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) that the latter divorced his wife when she was menstruating. `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about his son’s action to which he replied: Command him to take her back, and keep her till she is purified, then has another period, then is purified. If he wishes he may keep her and if he wishes he may divorce her before having sexual intercourse, for that is the `Iddah (woman's prescribed waiting period after divorce or widowhood) which Allah commanded for the divorce of a woman. Another report narrated by Muslim from the Prophet (peace be upon him) reads: Then he can divorce her when she is pure (not menstruating) or pregnant.
By Imaam Bin Baaz (rahimahullah)
