Question Summary:
Court-Issued Divorce Question Detail:
I am a single mother of 2 kids living in the US and as per law of the land my divorce got completed by the courts here on the 11th of dec 2017. Subsequently i submitted the divorce copy to the iman of masjid al imam of the Islamic community of Minnesota. Today i received the following letter from them stating: Quote Since the parties reached an agreement on all matters masjid al iman , therefore certifies that this divorce is valid under the islamic law and is established in accordance to the islamic shariah and islamic jurisprudence. The divorce certificate was issued in the presence of two witnesses signed below. Unquote Now my question is can i remarry now or do i need to wait for 90 days to get remarried? If the divorce is completed and final and accepted in accordance to the shariah and islamic norms then am i free to marry at anytime right?Kindly advise.
Answer :
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
You state that you were granted a divorce by the courts. This divorce was then certified by Masjid al-Iman.
You do not mention the role of your husband in the divorce proceedings. Did your husband pronounce the divorce or sign papers to that effect?
Kindly send your response to admin@daruliftaa.net. We will advise thereafter.
And Allah Ta‘ālā Knows Best.
Clarification:
Assalamu alaikum ,
Thank you for you duas .
My ex husband didn’t do anything. When all options failed I went to court and when the court settled the divorce I took those papers to the masjid. He was sent copies of all of these proceedings. But I initiated the divorce.
Sister
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
You did not state the background of your marriage and the reason for the divorce. Shari‘ah has advised to maintain one’s marriage to the best of one’s ability and avoid a divorce.
Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:
أَبْغَضُ الْحَلاَلِ إِلَى اللَّهِ الطَّلاَقُ.
“Of all the permissible acts, the most disliked by Allah is divorce.” (Ibn Majah, 2018)
If there are disputes between the spouses, that should be addressed between them. If there is a complete breakdown of the relationship between the spouses, then representatives of both spouses should intervene to address the grievances.
Allah says in the Qur’an:
وَإِن خِفتُم شِقاقَ بَينِهِما فَابعَثوا حَكَمًا مِن أَهلِهِ وَحَكَمًا مِن أَهلِها إِن يُريدا إِصلاحًا يُوَفِّقِ اللَّهُ بَينَهُما إِنَّ اللَّهَ كانَ عَليمًا خَبيرًا
If you fear a split between them (the spouses), send one arbitrator from his people and one from her people. If they desire to set things right, Allah shall bring about harmony between them. Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (4:35)
If the dispute cannot be resolved and the marriage cannot be saved, then the husband should be advised to issue a divorce.
Allah says:
فَإِمساكٌ بِمَعروفٍ أَو تَسريحٌ بِإِحسانٍ
Either retain in all fairness, or release with good treatment. (2:229)
If the husband does not issue a divorce, then the wife may request the husband to do khul‘a.[i] Khul‘a is to offer money in exchange for divorce. If that too is not successful, refer to local ‘ulama for faskh (annulment) of the marriage. The procedure of annulling a marriage is governed by strict rules. ‘Ulama who have proper understanding of the issue will be able to conduct the procedure correctly.[ii]
We advise you to consider the above-mentioned advices and procedures.
We also do not know if your husband is the father of your two children. If so, there is more reason for you to consider the issue again.
If the court has issued a civil divorce, that does not constitute a talaq in Shari‘ah. The Imam merely approving the court divorce also does not constitute a talaq in Shari‘ah.[iii] The procedure of the Imam is incorrect. According to Shari‘ah you are still married.
And Allah Ta‘ālā Knows Best.
Lutfi
Student, Darul Iftaa
USA
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
[i]
مختصر القدوري (ص: ١٦٣)
إذا اشتاق الزوجان وخافا أن لا يقيما حدود الله فلا بأس أن تفتدي نفسها منه بمال يخلعها به فإذ فعل ذلك وقع بالخلع تطليقة بائنة ولزمها المال
المبسوط للسرخسي (٦/١٧١)
(قال): وإذا اختلعت المرأة من زوجها فالخلع جائز، والخلع تطليقة بائنة عندنا
النتف في الفتاوى للسغدي (١/٣٦٦)
قَالَ وَالْخلْع بالجعل على سِتَّة اوجه احدها ان يخلعها بِمَال يَأْخُذهُ مِنْهَا سوى الْمهْر وَالثَّانِي ان يخلعها بِنَفَقَة عدتهَا وَالثَّالِث ان يخلعها بمهرها وَالرَّابِع ان يخلعها برضاع وَلَدهَا مِنْهُ الى الْحَوْلَيْنِ وَالْخَامِس أَن يخلعها بِنَفَقَة وَلَدهَا مِنْهُ إِلَى سنة والى سنتَيْن اَوْ اكثر وان مَاتَ الْوَلَد فِي بعض السّنة اخذ مِنْهَا نَفَقَة الْبَاقِي وكل هَذَا جَائِز
[ii]
بحوث في قضايا فقهية معاصرة (٢/١٧٣)
[iii]
الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (٥/٣٦٨)
(ويجوز تقلد القضاء من السلطان العادل والجائر) ولو كافرا ذكره مسكين وغيره إلا إذا كان يمنعه عن القضاء بالحق فيحرم
الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (٥/٤٠٩)
(ولا يقضي على غائب ولا له) أي لا يصح بل ولا ينفذ على المفتى به بحر (إلا بحضور نائبه) أي من يقوم مقام الغائب
| 
