16/17. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1433d — Lawful Return After Second Marriage
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
Remarriage After Divorce Hadith Explained
Sahih Muslim : 1433d
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1433d
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم سُئِلَ عَنِ الْمَرْأَةِ يَتَزَوَّجُهَا الرَّجُلُ فَيُطَلِّقُهَا فَتَتَزَوَّجُ رَجُلاً فَيُطَلِّقُهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ بِهَا أَتَحِلُّ لِزَوْجِهَا الأَوَّلِ قَالَ " لاَ حَتَّى يَذُوقَ عُسَيْلَتَهَا ".
A'isha Narrated from:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was asked about a woman whom a man married and then divorced her, and then she married (another) person, and she was divorced before sexual intercourse with her, whether it was lawful for her first husband (to marry her in this state). He (the Holy Prophet) said: No, until he has tasted her sweetness.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1433dIn-book reference : Book 16, Hadith 131USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 8, Hadith 3357
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1433d
This remarriage after divorce hadith answers a very specific question. A woman had been married, then divorced. She then married another man, but that second husband divorced her before sexual intercourse. The question was whether she could return to the first husband in that state. Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said no, using the phrase that the second husband must have tasted her sweetness. The meaning in the text is direct: a second marriage without consummation did not make her lawful again for the first husband. The hadith about triple divorce should be read within this exact case, without adding extra stories or rulings that are not mentioned here.
What we learn from this hadith
- A second marriage named in this case must not be only a formal step without consummation.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gave a clear answer to the specific question asked.
- The first husband could not remarry her in the stated condition.
- The wording shows that marital reality, not just a contract, mattered in this case.
