68/4. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 5261 — Remarriage After Three Divorces
To divorce one's wife thrice (at a time)
لِقَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: {الطَّلاَقُ مَرَّتَانِ فَإِمْسَاكٌ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ تَسْرِيحٌ بِإِحْسَانٍ}. وَقَالَ ابْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ فِي مَرِيضٍ طَلَّقَ لاَ أَرَى أَنْ تَرِثَ مَبْتُوتَتُهُ. وَقَالَ الشَّعْبِيُّ تَرِثُهُ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ شُبْرُمَةَ. تَزَوَّجُ إِذَا انْقَضَتِ الْعِدَّةُ قَالَ نَعَمْ، قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ مَاتَ الزَّوْجُ الآخَرُ فَرَجَعَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ.
Triple Divorce Hadith: When Can She Marry the First Husband Again?
Sahih Bukhari : 5261
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 5261
حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي الْقَاسِمُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ ثَلاَثًا، فَتَزَوَّجَتْ فَطَلَّقَ فَسُئِلَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَتَحِلُّ لِلأَوَّلِ قَالَ " لاَ، حَتَّى يَذُوقَ عُسَيْلَتَهَا كَمَا ذَاقَ الأَوَّلُ ".
A'isha Narrated from:
A man divorced his wife thrice (by expressing his decision to divorce her thrice), then she married another man who also divorced her. The Prophet (ﷺ) was asked if she could legally marry the first husband (or not). The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "No, she cannot marry the first husband unless the second husband consummates his marriage with her, just as the first husband had done."
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5261In-book reference : Book 68, Hadith 11USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 63, Hadith 187
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5261
This Hadith gives a direct answer to a common question about triple divorce in Islam. A woman was divorced three times by her husband. She then married another man, and he also divorced her. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was asked whether she could return to the first husband. His answer was no, unless the second husband had consummated the marriage with her, as the first husband had done. The teaching is plain: the second marriage cannot be only a name or a legal trick. It must be a true marriage with the marital bond fulfilled. This keeps divorce from being treated lightly.
What we learn from this hadith
- Three divorces create a serious barrier before remarriage to the first husband.
- The second marriage must be real and fulfilled, not only a formal contract.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم answered the legal question clearly and directly.
- Divorce decisions should not be handled as casual words.
