16/17. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1433b — Three Divorces and Return
It is not permissible for a woman who has been thrice-divorced to return to the one who divorced her until she marries another husband who has intercourse with her, then divorces her, and she completes the 'Iddah
Three Divorces and Returning to First Husband Hadith
Sahih Muslim : 1433b
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1433b
حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو الطَّاهِرِ، وَحَرْمَلَةُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، - وَاللَّفْظُ لِحَرْمَلَةَ - قَالَ أَبُو الطَّاهِرِ حَدَّثَنَا وَقَالَ، حَرْمَلَةُ أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي يُونُسُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ، زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَخْبَرَتْهُ أَنَّ رِفَاعَةَ الْقُرَظِيَّ طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ فَبَتَّ طَلاَقَهَا فَتَزَوَّجَتْ بَعْدَهُ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ الزَّبِيرِ فَجَاءَتِ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهَا كَانَتْ تَحْتَ رِفَاعَةَ فَطَلَّقَهَا آخِرَ ثَلاَثِ تَطْلِيقَاتٍ فَتَزَوَّجْتُ بَعْدَهُ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ الزَّبِيرِ وَإِنَّهُ وَاللَّهِ مَا مَعَهُ إِلاَّ مِثْلُ الْهُدْبَةِ وَأَخَذَتْ بِهُدْبَةٍ مِنْ جِلْبَابِهَا . قَالَ فَتَبَسَّمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ضَاحِكًا فَقَالَ " لَعَلَّكِ تُرِيدِينَ أَنْ تَرْجِعِي إِلَى رِفَاعَةَ لاَ حَتَّى يَذُوقَ عُسَيْلَتَكِ وَتَذُوقِي عُسَيْلَتَهُ " . وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ جَالِسٌ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَخَالِدُ بْنُ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْعَاصِ جَالِسٌ بِبَابِ الْحُجْرَةِ لَمْ يُؤْذَنْ لَهُ قَالَ فَطَفِقَ خَالِدٌ يُنَادِي أَبَا بَكْرٍ أَلاَ تَزْجُرُ هَذِهِ عَمَّا تَجْهَرُ بِهِ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم.
A'isha Narrated from:
Rifa'a al-Quraid (Allah be pleased with him) divorced his wife, making her divorce irrevocable. Afterwards she married Abd at-Rahman b. al-Zubair (Allah be pleased with him), She came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him and said to Allah's messenger (ﷺ) that she had been the wife of Rifa'a (Allah be pleased with him) and he had divorced her by three pronouncements and afterwards she married 'Abd al-Rahman b. al-Zubair. By Allah, all he possesses is like the fringe of a garment, and she took hold of the fringe of her garment. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) laughed and said: Perhaps you wish to return to Rifa'a, (but you) cannot (do it) until he has tasted your sweetness and you have tasted his sweetness. Abu Bakr al-siddiq (Allah be pleased with him) was sitting at that time with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and Khalid b. Sa'id b. al-'As (Allah be pleased with him) was sitting at the door of his apartment and he was not permitted to (enter the room), and Kbalid called loudly saying: Abu Bakr, why don't you scold her for what she is saying loudly in the presence of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)?
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1433bIn-book reference : Book 16, Hadith 129USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 8, Hadith 3355
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1433b
This Hadith gives a fuller report of the woman connected to Rifa'a al-Qurazi. A'isha reported that Rifa'a divorced his wife, making the divorce final, and that she later married Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Zubair. She came to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and said Rifa'a had divorced her by three pronouncements. She then complained about her new husband, using the fringe of her garment as an image. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) laughed and said that perhaps she wished to return to Rifa'a, but she could not until he had tasted her sweetness and she had tasted his sweetness. The core teaching is that after such divorce, return is not allowed without real marital intimacy in the later marriage.
What we learn from this hadith
- Three divorces are treated as a serious final separation in this report.
- A later marriage must involve real marital intimacy before return is possible.
- The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) addressed the case with a clear answer.
- The narration shows that personal marriage issues were brought for judgment.
