Chapter on the Divorce of an Absent Person

Man Lā Yaḥḍuruh al-Faqīh|Volume 3|Book 4|Chapter 3

Chapter on the Divorce of an Absent Person

3 hadiths · 1 commentary

رَوَى اَلْحَسَنُ بْنُ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ اَلثُّمَالِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ رَجُلٍ قَالَ لِرَجُلٍ اُكْتُبْ يَا فُلاَنُ إِلَى اِمْرَأَتِي بِطَلاَقِهَا أَوْ قَالَ اُكْتُبْ إِلَى عَبْدِي بِعِتْقِهِ أَ يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ طَلاَقاً أَوْ عِتْقاً قَالَ "لاَ يَكُونُ طَلاَقٌ وَ لاَ عِتْقٌ حَتَّى يَنْطِقَ بِهِ اَللِّسَانُ أَوْ يَخُطَّ بِيَدِهِ وَ هُوَ يُرِيدُ اَلطَّلاَقَ أَوِ اَلْعِتْقَ وَ يَكُونَ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ بِالْأَهِلَّةِ وَ اَلشُّهُودِ وَ يَكُونَ غَائِباً عَنْ أَهْلِهِ".

Al-Ḥasan ibn Maḥbub narrated from Abu Ḥamzah al-Thumali from Abu Jafar Imam Al-Baqir who said: "I asked him about a man who said to another, 'Write to my wife regarding her divorce,' or said: 'Write to my slave regarding his emancipation.' Would that constitute a divorce or emancipation?" Imam replied: "There is no divorce nor emancipation until it is spoken by the tongue or written by his own hand with the intention of divorce or emancipation. It must also be done with proper witnessing and at the right time while he is absent from his family."

Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Faqīh

Commentary #1

وَ إِذَا أَرَادَ الْغَائِبُ أَنْ يُطَلِّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ فَحَدُّ غَيْبَتِهِ الَّتِي إِذَا غَابَهَا كَانَ لَهُ أَنْ يُطَلِّقَ مَتَى شَاءَ أَقْصَاهُ خَمْسَةُ أَشْهُرٍ أَوْ سِتَّةُ أَشْهُرٍ وَ أَوْسَطُهُ ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْهُرٍ وَ أَدْنَاهُ شَهْرٌ.

And regarding a man who is absent and wishes to divorce his wife, the period of absence during which he may divorce whenever he wants is as follows: the longest is five or six months, the middle is three months, and the shortest is one month.

Hadith #2

فَقَدْ رَوَى صَفْوَانُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ اَلْغَائِبُ اَلَّذِي يُطَلِّقُ كَمْ غَيْبَتُهُ قَالَ "خَمْسَةُ أَشْهُرٍ أَوْ سِتَّةُ أَشْهُرٍ" قُلْتُ حَدٌّ فِيهِ دُونَ ذَا قَالَ "ثَلاَثَةُ أَشْهُرٍ".

Ṣafwan ibn Yaḥya narrated from Isḥaq ibn ʿAmmar who said: "I asked Abu Ibrahim (Imam Musa ibn Jafar Al-Kadhim ) about the absent man who divorces his wife. How long must his absence be?" Imam replied: "Five or six months." I asked: "Is there a shorter period than that?" Imam said: "Three months."

Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Faqīh

Hadith #3

وَ رَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: "اَلْغَائِبُ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يُطَلِّقَ اِمْرَأَتَهُ تَرَكَهَا شَهْراً".

Muḥammad ibn Abi Ḥamzah narrated from Isḥaq ibn ʿAmmar who reported from Abu Abdullah that he said: "If an absent man wants to divorce his wife, he should leave her for one month."

Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Faqīh, p. 295