Can I Revoke My Two Divorces Before the End of the Waiting Period (Idda)?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I gave my wife two divorces on 28th May this year, and she told me she completed her three menstrual cycles and will finish her three months on 26th August this month. Can I still take her back?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
If you gave your wife two clear revocable divorces, for example, I divorced you twice, and you intend to revoke the divorce, then you do so within the waiting period, which is before the 28th of August. You will become a married couple again. However, if you didn’t, you must remarry with a fresh nikah and dowry, which can be simple if you both choose to reunite.
The Ruling of a Revocable Divorce
When a man divorces his wife with a single revocable divorce or two revocable pronouncements of divorce, he may take her back during her waiting period (`idda), whether the woman consents to that retraction or does not consent.
[Maydani, Al-Lubab Fi Sharh al-Kitab]
To revoke a divorce, one needs to say, ‘I take you back,’ or engage in any act that displays intimacy, such as a kiss or a hug. They become a married couple again.
[Maydani, Al-Lubab Fi Sharh al-Kitab; Ibn ʿAbidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
Due to the sensitivity of this situation, I would advise you to consult local scholars – people who are reliable, pious, have wisdom, and understand family and community dynamics.
I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.
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Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
