Question Summary:
Divorce or Waswasa?

Question Detail:

I have a question regarding divorce and waswasa. In my mind I had a situation playing out in my mind where I was angry at my wife and out loud i uttered 'leave me alone and you should go to sleep on your own'. I believe this does not constitute a divorce. Thereafter in my mind my wife said 'then why dont you leave me?'.
Then my reply was in anger 'if you ask me again then i will.' Now this phrase, i do not remember saying it out loud or whether it was said in my mind. It is a cause of great distress to me and i feel it is waswasa. Does this count as a divorce? If i had said it out loud, then will this count as divorce the next time my wife asks me to leave her? I would appreciate your advice. 

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The thoughts that you are experiencing are merely Waswasa (insinuations) from Shaytaan who is our arch enemy. Shaytaan is constantly in search of finding ways to prevent us from the obedience of Allah. Causing dissension and discord between the husband and wife is amongst his major operatives. As such, the scenarios playing out in your mind is the work of Shaytaan. This does not constitute divorce.
You should dispel these doubts and carry on with your marriage. Make du’a to Allah to alleviate your difficulty. Also, seek medical help and try to overcome your problem of Waswasa through medical treatment as soon as possible. You should also be cautious when faced with such a situation and immediately recite:
أَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْم
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Nabeel Valli
Student Darul Iftaa
Lusaka, Zambia
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net