The Divorces of the Prophet

Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬
Posted on April 18, 2019

‫بسم ا) الرحمن الرحيم‬

In the name of Allāh the Exceptionally Merciful,

the Perpetually Merciful.

Introduction

The Islamic tradition exerts men and women to get

married if they are able and ready to do so.[i] That
ability and readiness is conditional on being
Muslim, having reached physical maturity,
possessing a sound mind, having substantial
knowledge of an action, and maintaining the ability
to perform the action.[ii] At the same time, Islām
recognizes that not all marriages will be successful
due to reasons that may be specific to each case.
[iii] Hence, neither does the Qur’ān nor the
Prophetic tradition shy away from bluntly
discussing divorce as an option in an irreconcilable
marriage. Sadly, the only Islamic dialogue that
occurs about divorce in the Muslim community is
that “it is the most hated permissible act in the
sight of God.” Instead, the dialogue ought to be
about unrealistic expectations of marriage, broken
community standards, and mental health
awareness within families.

This shift in the Muslim community’s mindset can

begin with a textual dialogue on the various
women who were once married to the Prophet
Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬. The information discussed herein
is by no means exhaustive. The reader is
encouraged to do their own research into the
nuances of this subject.

To properly examine this issue in earnest, this

article will discuss the situations of wives who are
reported to have been married to the Prophet
Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬, but whose marriages went
through divorce in one stage or another. The wives
mentioned in this article will be Ḥafṣah b. ‘Umar
and Bint al-Jawn.

Ḥafṣah b. ‘Umar

Perhaps the most known case of the divorces of

the Prophet Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬is that of Ḥafṣah, the
daughter of ‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb. Her case is
referenced in the Qur’ān in Sūrah Taḥrīm.

‫ل ُه‬/ ‫ج َك َوٱل‬ ِ ۚ ‫ات أَزۡ َوٲ‬ َ ‫ۡض‬ َ ‫ك تَبۡت َ ِغى َمر‬ ۖ َ ‫ل ُه َل‬/ ‫ل ٱل‬/ ‫ر ُم َمآ أ َ َح‬I ‫ لِ َم تُ َح‬K‫ ِبى‬/ ‫يَـٰٓأَيُ َها ٱلن‬
‫ل ُه َم ۡو َلٮٰ ُك ۡمۖ َو ُه َو ٱ ۡل َعلِي ُم‬/ ‫ل َة أَي َۡمـ ِٰن ۚ ُك ۡم َوٱل‬/ ‫ح‬ ِ َ‫ل ُه َل ُك ۡم ت‬/ ‫ض ٱل‬ َ ‫( َق ۡد فَ َر‬١) ٌ‫حي ۬م‬ ِ ‫ور ر‬
/ ٌ ۬ ُ‫َغف‬
ِ َ ‫ٱل‬
‫ ِأَتۡ ِب ِهۦ‬/‫ما نَب‬/ ‫ج ِهۦ َح ِديثً ۬ا فَ َل‬ ِ ‫ۡض أَزۡ َوٲ‬ ِ ‫ إِ َلىٰ بَع‬K‫ ِبى‬/ ‫ر ٱلن‬/ ‫س‬ َ َ ‫( َو إِذۡ أ‬٢) ‫ۡحكي ُم‬
ۡ‫أ َ َها ِبهۦ َقا َلت‬/‫ما نَب‬/ ‫ۡض فَ َل‬ ۖ ٍ ۬ ‫ض َع ۢن بَع‬ َ ‫ۡض ُه ۥ َوأَع َۡر‬ َ ‫ف بَع‬ َ ‫ر‬/ ‫ل ُه َع َلي ِۡه َع‬/ ‫َوأَظۡ َه َرهُ ٱل‬
‫ل ِه فَ َق ۡد‬/ ‫( إِن تَتُوبَآ إِ َلى ٱل‬٣) ‫ير‬ ُ ‫خ ِب‬ َ ‫أ َ ِنىَ ٱ ۡل َعلِي ُم ٱ ۡل‬/‫ال نَب‬ َ ‫َم ۡن أَنۢبَأ َ َك َهـٰذَاۖ َق‬
ُ‫صـٰلِح‬ َ ‫يل َو‬ ِ ‫ل َه ُه َو َم ۡو َلٮٰ ُه َو‬/ ‫ن ٱل‬/ ‫ص َغتۡ ُق ُلوبُ ُك َماۖ َو إِن تَظَـٰ َه َرا َع َلي ِۡه فَ ِإ‬
ُ ‫جبۡ ِر‬ َ
ۤ‫ن أَن يُب ِۡد َل ُه ۥ‬/ ‫ل َق ُك‬/ َ‫ ُه ۥۤ إِن ط‬K‫سىٰ َرب‬ َ ‫( َع‬٤) ‫ير‬ ِ
ٌ ‫ َ َلـٰٓٮٕ َك ُة بَ ۡع َد ذَال َك ظَ ِه‬Ñ‫ َو ۡٱ‬Öَۖ ‫ُؤ ِۡم ِن‬Ñ‫ۡٱ‬
ٍ۬ ‫سـٰٓٮٕ َِحـ‬
‫ٰت‬ َ ‫ٲت‬ ٍ۬ ‫ٰت َعـٰ ِب َد‬
ٍ ‫ٰت تَـٰٓٮِٕبَـ‬ٍ۬ ‫ٰت َقـ ِٰنتَـ‬ ٍ۬ ‫مؤ ِۡمنَـ‬K ‫ٰت‬ ٍ۬ ‫سلِ َمـ‬ ۡ ‫ن ُم‬/ ‫من ُك‬I ‫خي ًۡر۬ا‬ َ ‫ٲجا‬ ً ‫أَزۡ َو‬
ً ‫ٰت َوأَبۡ َك‬
‫ار۬ا‬ ٍ۬ ‫بَـ‬I‫( ثَي‬
٥)

“O Prophet, why do you make impermissible that

which God made allowed to you, seeking to [simply]
please your wives. God is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.
Allah has already ordained for you [Muslims] the
dissolution of your oaths. And Allah is your protector,
and He is the Knowing, the Wise. And [remember]
when the Prophet confided to one of his wives a
statement; and when she informed [another] of it and
Allah showed it to him, he made known part of it and
ignored a part. And when he informed her about it, she
said, “Who told you this?” He said, “I was informed by
the Knowing, the Acquainted.” If you two [wives]
repent to Allah , [it is best], for your hearts have
deviated. But if you cooperate against him – then
indeed Allah is his protector, and Gabriel and the
righteous of the believers and the angels, moreover, are
[his] assistants. Perhaps his Lord, if he divorced you
[all], would substitute for him wives better than you –
submitting [to Allah ], believing, devoutly obedient,
repentant, worshipping, and traveling – [ones]
previously married and virgins.” [66:1-5][iv].
[iv].

The divorce of Ḥafṣah b. ‘Umar was initiated by the

Prophet Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬after she disclosed a
secret to some of the other wives which the
Prophet had asked her not to share. Though there
are differences of opinions reported about what
the actual content of the secret were, there is
consensus that Hafsah’s divorce was initiated
because she revealed the secret. Reports in Ṣaḥīḥ
al-Bukhāri and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim mention that the
sūrah was revealed in regards to the incident of Al-
Maghāfīr,[v]
[v] wherein Ḥafṣah and ‘Ā’ishah
separately told the Prophet that his breath smelled
of honey. This was a means of expressing their
dismay at him staying at the house of Zaynab for
too long and eating honey with her. Other reports
in Al-Dāraqutnī state that the revelation had to do
with the Prophet Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬being intimate
with Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah in the absence of
Ḥafṣah in her bed. You can read about both
incidents in-depth here, as delving into them is
externally beyond the matrices of this article.

Eventually, the Prophet Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬divorced

Ḥafṣah completely without the intention to take
her back. (For those unfamiliar with the Islamic
divorce process, please see the endnote tagged
here).[vi]

Al-Qurṭubī reports the following:

‫أسر إليها‬
/ ‫ا‬Ñ ‫ص َة‬َ ْ‫ول ا) ﷺ َعلى َحف‬ ِ ‫س‬ ُ ‫يَ ِة َغ‬ç‫ا‬
ُ ‫ضب َر‬ ْ ‫ب نُزُ ْو ِل َه ِذ ِه‬
ُ َ‫سب‬
َ
ِ
‫ل َق َها تَطْليْ َقة‬/ َ‫ فط‬،‫َحديثا ً فأظْ َهرتْه ل َعائش َة‬

“The cause of revelation for this verse (66:3) was the

anger of the Messenger of Allāh ‫ ﷺ‬towards Ḥafṣah
when he confided a matter to her, but she revealed it to
‘Ā’ishah. He then divorced her [Ḥafṣah] once
completely.

Later though, the Angel Jibrīl came to the Prophet

and ordered him to take Ḥafṣah back:

َ‫وا َم ٌة َو ِهي‬/ ‫وا َم ٌة َق‬/ ‫ص‬

َ ‫ َها‬/‫ فَ ِان‬، ‫ص َة‬ َ ْ‫جعْ َحف‬ِ ‫ َرا‬: ْ‫ال لِي‬ ِ ‫ن‬/ ِ‫إ‬
َ ‫ فَ َق‬، ْ‫جبْ ِريْ َل آتَاني‬
‫ ِة‬/ ‫زَ ْو َجت ُ َك ِفيْ ا ْل َجن‬

“Indeed, Gabriel came to me and said ‘Take Ḥafṣah

back, for she fasts, prays, and is your wife in paradise.”
[Reported in the Mustadrak of Al-Ḥākim]

as “she is upright and fasts, and she is your wife in

paradise.” Hence, contrary to many Muslims
thinking that the divorce never happened, it indeed
took place.

َ‫لق‬/ َ‫ل ِه ﷺ ط‬/ ‫ول ال‬

َ ‫س‬ُ ‫ن َر‬/ َ ‫ أ‬،‫ َع ْن ُع َم َر‬،‫اس‬ ِ ‫س ِع‬
ٍ /‫ َع ِن ابْ ِن َعب‬،‫يد بْ ِن ُجبَيْ ٍر‬ َ ‫َع ْن‬
َ ‫م َر‬/ ُ‫ص َة ث‬
‫اج َع َها‬ َ ْ‫َحف‬

“Indeed, the Messenger of God divorced Hafsah, and

then took her back.” [Sunan Abī Dāwūd]

According to the Prophet Muḥammad’s ‫ ﷺ‬own

choice and decision, he divorced Ḥafṣah without
the intention to take her back, yet it was Allāh’s
command through Jibrīl that led to the Prophet
remarrying Ḥafṣah. He took her back solely on that
basis, as Divine commands take precedent over the
volition of the Prophet. Ḥafṣah lived with the
Prophet until his death and is honored with the
title of “Mother of the Believers.”

Bint al-Jawn

The second known case of the divorces of the

Prophet Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬is that of Bint al-Jawn.
Though her case is referenced in several ḥadīths,
we will look at Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhāri under the chapter
titled “should a man tell his wife face-to-face that
she is divorced” (‫الر ُج ُل ا ْم َرأَتَ ُه‬ ِ ‫لقَ َو َه ْل يُ َوا‬/ َ‫ َم ْن ط‬:‫باب‬
/ ‫ج ُه‬
‫َ ِق‬õ/‫) ِبالط‬:

‫ى انْطَ َل ْقنَا‬/‫ ﷺ َحت‬I‫ ِبي‬/ ‫خ َر ْجنَا َمعَ الن‬ َ ‫ال‬ َ ‫سيْ ٍد رضى ا) عنه ـ َق‬ َ ُ ‫َع ْن أ َ ِبي أ‬
‫سنَا بَيْن َ ُه َما‬ ْ ‫ِ فَ َج َل‬Öْ َ‫ائط‬ ِ ‫ى انْت َ َهيْنَا إِ َلى َح‬/‫ َحت‬،‫ط‬ / ‫ال َل ُه‬
ُ ‫الش ْو‬ ُ ‫ائ ٍط يُ َق‬ِ ‫إِ َلى َح‬
َ‫خ َل َو َق ْد أ ُ ِتي‬ َ ‫ َو َد‬.” ‫سوا َها ُهنَا‬ ُ ِ‫اجل‬ْ ” ‫ صلى ا) عليه وسلم‬K‫ ِبي‬/ ‫ال الن‬ َ ‫فَ َق‬
‫ان بْ ِن‬
ِ ‫ ْع َم‬K ‫ت الن‬ ُ ْ ‫ت أ ُ َميْ َم ُة ِبن‬ٍ ْ‫خ ٍل ِفي بَي‬ ْ َ‫ت ِفي ن‬ ٍ ْ‫ت ِفي بَي‬ ْ ‫ فَأُنْ ِز َل‬،‫ ِة‬/‫ِبا ْل َج ْو ِني‬
” ‫ال‬ َ ‫ ﷺ َق‬K‫ ِبي‬/ ‫خ َل َع َليْ َها الن‬ َ ‫ما َد‬/ ‫ فَ َل‬،‫اضن َ ٌة َل َها‬ ِ ‫يل َو َم َع َها َدايَت ُ َها َح‬ َ ‫اح‬ ِ ‫شر‬
َ َ
‫ال فَأ َ ْه َوى‬ َ ‫ َق‬.‫لسو َق ِة‬ K ِ‫س َها ل‬ َ ْ‫َلِ َك ُة نَف‬Ñ‫ب ْا‬ ُ ‫ت َو َه ْل تَ َه‬ ْ ‫ َقا َل‬.” ‫س ِك لِي‬ َ ْ‫َه ِبي نَف‬
‫ت‬ ِ ْ‫ال ” َق ْد ُعذ‬ َ ‫ فَ َق‬.‫ل ِه ِمن ْ َك‬/ ‫ت أ َ ُعوذُ ِبال‬ ْ ‫س ُك َن فَ َقا َل‬ ْ َ ‫ضعُ يَ َدهُ َع َليْ َها لِت‬ َ َ‫ِبيَ ِد ِه ي‬
‫ح ْق َها‬ ِ ‫ِ َوأ َ ْل‬Öْ َ ‫ت‬/‫س َها َرا ِز ِقي‬ ُ ‫سيْ ٍد ا ْك‬ َ ُ ‫ال ” يَا أَبَا أ‬ َ ‫ فَ َق‬،‫خ َر َج َع َليْنَا‬ َ ‫م‬/ ُ‫ ث‬.” ‫اذ‬ ٍ ‫ِب َم َع‬
”‫ِبأ َ ْهلِ َها‬

“We went out with the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬to a garden called

Ash-Shaut till we reached two walls between which we
sat down. The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬said, “Sit here,” and went
in (the garden). The Jawniyya (a lady from Bani Jawn)
had been brought and lodged in a house in a date-palm
garden in the home of Umaima bint An- Nu`mān bin
Sharāhīl, and her wet nurse was with her. When the
Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬entered upon her, he said to her, “Gift
yourself to me.” She said, “Can a princess give herself in
marriage to an ordinary man?” The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬raised
his hand to console her so that she might become
tranquil. She said, “I seek refuge with Allāh from you.”
He said, ‘You have sought refuge with One Who gives
refuge.’ Then the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬came out to us and said,
“O Abū Usayd! Give her two white linen dresses to
wear and let her go back to her family.”

Who was Bint al-Jawn?

Firstly, what was the identity of this woman? Bint

al-Jawn was a woman from the tribe of Jawn who
came from an aristocratic family, and who was
married off to the Prophet Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬.
According Ibn Ḥajar al-‘Asqalānī in his Fatḥ al-Bāri’,
there are various opinions as to what her name
was. Hishām b. al-Kalbī mentioned that her name
may have been Umaymah b. Nu’mān b. Sharāhīl b.
al-Aswad b. al-Jawn al-Kindiyyah, the namesake of
the owner of the home mentioned in the ḥadīth.
Muslim historians such as Muḥammad b. Isḥāq and
Muḥammad b. Ḥabīb said that her name was either
Asmā’ b. Ka’ab al-Jawniyyah or Asmā’ b. al-Aswad
b. al-Ḥārith b. al-Nu’mān—as is reported in the
narrations of Yūnus b. Bukayr. They further
mention that perhaps her name was Asmā’, but her
nickname was Umaymah.

Ibn Ḥajar further mentions that there are other

narrations that report names such as Fāṭimah b. al-
Ḍaḥḥāk, ‘Umrah b. Yazīd, Sanā b. Sufyān b. ‘Awf, Al-
‘Āliyah b. Ẓibyān b. ‘Amr b. ‘Awf, and Asmā’ b. al-
Nu’mān, and a few others. Similarly, some of these
narrations mention that these women also had
divorces in a similar manner with the Prophet
Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬. They also contend that Bint al-
Jawn was not from the tribe of Jawn, but from
Kilāb. But, the narrations with these aberrations
and names have inconsistencies in them (iḍṭirāb).
Hence, preference is given to the names in the
former paragraph, as well as to the fact that this
incident has only to do with one woman known as
Bint al-Jawn. None the less, her exact name bears
little value in the discussion at hand.

Why Did the Prophet Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬Divorce

Her?

The narration in Bukhārī shows us that Bint al-

Jawn was dissatisfied with being with the Prophet
Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬. Though most women in Bint al-
Jawn’s position may have preferred to be married
to the Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬, she did not want to
be. She mentions her reason when she tells the
Prophet “will a princess gift herself to an ordinary
man?” By ordinary (sūqah), she is referring to the
fact that she comes from royalty, while the Prophet
Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬did not come from an aristocratic
lineage. Then she expresses her displeasure of
being in the marriage by seeking refuge in Allāh
from the Prophet Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬.

As interesting as this ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī is,

Ibn Ḥajar mentions something further. Though this
woman is not content being in this marriage, the
Prophet Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬neither takes Bint al-Jawn
to account nor holds it against her for not wanting
to be married to him. She wanted to be with
someone of royalty. Upon expressing this, the
Prophet Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬respected her wishes and
sends her back to her family in an honorable
manner. Other narrations also mention that this
divorce took place very shortly after the
celebration of the wedding.

Lastly, some scholars postulated that Bint al-Jawn

did not know that the man approaching her was
the Prophet Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬, but Ibn Ḥajar says
otherwise, as the context of her words are clearly
stated. Similarly, this incident is reported in other
ḥadīths, hence, saying she did not know does not
make any sense. Other ḥadīths state that Bint al-
Jawn was told that seeking refuge in Allāh against
the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬would draw her closer to him, but
Ibn Ḥajar does not gave this idea much credence
based on the lack of strength in the ḥadīths which
purport as such.

Umm Sharīk Ghaziyyah b. Jābir

Umm Sharīk was a woman who was reported to

have gifted herself in marriage to the Prophet
Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬without requesting a dowry. Some
of the scholars of tafsīr such as Al-Qurṭubī, Al-
Suyūṭī, and Al-Ṭabarī report that her request may
have caused the revelation of verse 50 of Sūrah al-
Aḥzāb, which is a verse dealing with who the
Prophet Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬could marry. But this is
not the endorsed opinion on this verse, as an
overwhelming majority of scholars of tafsīr note
that this verse was revealed allowing the Prophet
Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬to act as such, but he did not do so.
Al-Qurṭubī mentions that Mujāhid and Ibn ‘Abbās
believed that there was no woman to whom the
Prophet Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬was married to that had
‘gifted’ herself to him without a dowry. Similarly,
Ibn Ḥajar held that the narrations about the
marriage of Umm Sharīk to the Prophet were
inconsistent.[vii] For the sake of context, the verse
is below.

ْ ‫ن َو َما َم َل َك‬/ ‫ور ُه‬

‫ت‬ َ ‫ت أ ُ ُج‬ َ ْ‫ ِتي آتَي‬õ‫ال‬/ ‫اج َك‬ َ ‫ا أ َ ْح َل ْلنَا َل َك أَزْ َو‬/‫ إِن‬K‫ ِبي‬/ ‫ َها الن‬K‫يَا أَي‬
ِ َ ‫خالِ َك َوبَن‬
‫ات‬ َ ‫ات‬ِ َ ‫ات َك َوبَن‬ ِ َ ‫م َك َوبَن‬I ‫ات َع‬
ِ ‫م‬/ ‫ات َع‬ ِ َ ‫ل ُه َع َليْ َك َوبَن‬/ ‫ما أَفَا َء ال‬/ ‫يَ ِمين ُ َك ِم‬
‫ إِ ْن‬I‫ ِبي‬/ ‫س َها لِلن‬ َ ْ‫ت نَف‬ْ َ‫مؤ ِْمن َ ًة إِن َو َهب‬K ً‫اج ْر َن َم َع َك َوا ْم َرأَة‬ َ ‫ ِتي َه‬õ‫ال‬ / ‫ا• ِت َك‬ َ ‫خ‬ َ
‫ ۗ َق ْد َعلِ ْمنَا َما‬Ö َ ‫ُؤ ِْم ِن‬Ñ‫ون ْا‬ِ ‫ل َك ِمن ُد‬/ ‫ص ًة‬ َ ِ‫خال‬
َ ‫نك َح َها‬ ِ َ ‫ست‬ ْ َ‫ أَن ي‬K‫ ِبي‬/ ‫أ َ َرا َد الن‬
ۗ ‫ يَ ُكو َن َع َليْ َك َح َر ٌج‬õَ ْ‫ت أَيْ َمانُ ُه ْم لِ َكي‬ ِ ‫ضنَا َع َليْ ِه ْم ِفي أَزْ َوا‬
ْ ‫ج ِه ْم َو َما َم َل َك‬ ْ ‫فَ َر‬
‫يما‬
ً ‫ح‬ِ ‫ل ُه َغفُورا ر‬/ ‫َو َكا َن ال‬
/ ً

“O Prophet, indeed We have made lawful to you your

wives to whom you have given their due compensation
and those your right hand possesses from what Allah
has returned to you [of captives] and the daughters of
your paternal uncles and the daughters of your
paternal aunts and the daughters of your maternal
uncles and the daughters of your maternal aunts who
emigrated with you and a believing woman if she gives
herself to the Prophet [and] if the Prophet wishes to
marry her, [this is] only for you, excluding the [other]
believers. We certainly know what We have made
obligatory upon them concerning their wives and
those their right hands possess, [but this is for you] in
order that there will be upon you no discomfort. And
ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.” [33:50]

The reason I am mentioning her name here is

because there are reports in the Ṭabaqāt of Ibn
Sa’ad which say that the Prophet Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬
divorced her after seeing her in person due to her
old age.[viii] Ibn Sa’ad mentions another narration
from Al-Wāqidī saying that Umm Sharīk gifted
herself to the Prophet Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬, but he did
not accept her marriage.[ix] Hence, Umm Sharīk
decided not to get married until she passed away.
[x] Again though, these reports become irrelevant,
as the ḥadīths of the marriage of Umm Sharīk to
the Prophet Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬are not very strong.
Similarly, narrations that are mentioned by
historians within Sīrah records are compiled very
differently from the ḥadīth canon. The ḥadīths
herein cannot lead one to make clear inferences, as
whether or not the marriage even took place
cannot be clearly established. So in the end,
neither is the marriage of Umm Sharīk nor her
divorce recorded with veracity within the Islamic
tradition. For those interested, you can read the
Arabic of the narrations of Ibn Sa’ad in the
endnotes.[xi]

Does Allāh Hate Divorce?

An oft-quoted ḥadīth in regards to divorce is the

following:

‫ق‬õَ /‫ ِل ِعن ْ َد ا)ِ ا ْلط‬õَ ‫الح‬

َ ‫ض‬ َ ‫ن أَبْ َغ‬/ ِ‫إ‬

“Indeed, the most detested [thing] from [what is]

permissible, with Allah, is divorce.” [Sunan Ibn Mājah]

Firstly, this narration’s chain contains ‘Ubayd Allah

b. Al-Walīd Al-Waṣṣāfī, someone who was
considered extremely weak in narration according
to Yaḥyā b. Ma’īn, ‘Alī al-Madīnī, Al-Dāraquṭnī,
and an overwhelming majority of ḥadīth scholars
for that matter. Similarly, a narration is also
reported in the Sunan of Abū Dāwūd with a similar
wording.[xii] In the latter ḥadīth, the presence of
Muḥarib b. Dīthār was a point of contention, as
though many scholars considered him to be a
strong narrator, others such as Ibn Sa’ad
considered him to be from the Murji’ah[xiii], hence,
did not consider him to be strong.

Secondly, ḥadīth are not binary statements that

are understood and practiced in a bubble. Rather,
they must be put into context. Though divorce is
understood to be one of the most detestably
permissible recourses to take in a marriage, this
ḥadīth is highlighting that it ought to not be the
first solution to solving issues within a marriage.
Rather, if a couple can see a means to resolve their
differences, they ought to do so as such. Whether
that be attempting to talk things out, going to a
therapist, or using an arbitrator, the Islamic
tradition seeks to bring life to a marriage if it is
dying. But, if a marriage cannot be resuscitated for
whatever reason, that is when a husband and wife
ought to decide if it is healthier for them to stay
together or part ways. As such, we saw above that
there were cases where the Prophet Muḥammad
‫ ﷺ‬understood this, and had divorces of his own.
Not only him, but we see from the Islamic tradition
that marriage and divorce were extremely fluid
processes within the companions as well.

Conclusion

As we saw above, our beloved Prophet Muḥammad

‫ ﷺ‬is reported to have gone through the process of
divorce. In the modern day, the high financial
burdens that are put on a groom or bridge when
getting married makes this process very difficult.
Similarly, the culture of looking down on divorce
completely makes marriage a living nightmare for
some. Of course, no one gets married knowing nor
wanting their marriage to end in divorce. Neither
the Prophet nor an everyday man or woman. But
not every situation and person is in a single
person’s control.

At the end of the day, Islam does not legally burden

two people to stay married if every attempt to stay
together has been exhausted. In such a case, it may
be Islamically recommended for them to divorce as
opposed to staying together. Similarly, if someone
is not ready for marriage for whatever reason,
Islamically, they would be recommended to not get
married until they have the physical, mental, and
financial means to do so. This is what Islam has
taught for over a thousand years, but it is our
broken cultural standards that force people into
marriages when they are not ready, and also force
them to stay in broken marriages, due to cultural
standards which look down on the divorced, even
when a couple is clearly being harmed from being
with each other when they are not compatible for
whatever reason.

At the same time, some may contend that Muslims

should not get divorced under any circumstances,
as a common tagline that is used is “But he was a
Prophet.” Unless an action is solely mentioned to
be specific to the Prophet Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬, it is
assumed to be applicable to all people in all times.
For example, the wives of the Prophet cannot
marry anyone after his death, but that is not the
case for a regular woman whose husband dies.
Similarly, divorce is not an action sanctioned solely
for the Prophet in any form of Islamic legal
literature. By this faulty logic, should people also
not get married since “He was a Prophet and we
aren’t?” Will we begin to classify the sunnah as the
antithesis of whatever the Prophet Muḥammad‫ﷺ‬
did, just because it is inconvenient to our
inconsistent to our social constructs?

Divorcees are not spoiled, our standards are. Our

standards of making families live in darkness and
unhappiness just to maintain a social order which is
antithetical to the Islamic tradition. We ought to
ask ourselves—does our community make it easy
for a divorced person to get married, or would we
reject the proposal of the Prophet Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬
if he came as a suitor to us—solely on the basis of
having been married before.

[i] Verses in the Qur’ān and Prophetic ḥadīths

encourage people to get married if they can. Sūrah
al-Nūr mentions ‫اد ُك ْم‬ ِ َ‫ ِم ْن ِعب‬Ö
َ ‫ح‬ ِ ِ‫الصال‬/ ‫َيَا َمىٰ ِمن ُك ْم َو‬ß‫ا‬ ِ َ ‫َوأ‬
ْ ‫نك ُحوا‬
‫ضلِ ِه‬
ْ َ‫ل ُه ِمن ف‬/ ‫ائ ُك ْم ۚ إِن يَ ُكونُوا فُ َق َرا َء يُ ْغ ِن ِه ُم ال‬
ِ ‫“ َو إِ َم‬And marry the
unmarried among you and the righteous among your
male slaves and female slaves. If they should be poor,
Allah will enrich them from His bounty.” Similarly, the
Prophet exerted ‫ع منكم الباءة‬ َ ‫يا معشر الشباب من استطا‬
‫“ فليتزوج‬O young men, whoever among you can afford
it, let him get married.”

[ii]Al-Ghazālī., Al-Musṭaṣfā min ‘Ilm al-Uṣūl al-Fiqh,

Vol 1., p. 277-282, Sharikha al-Madīnah al-
Munawwarah li al-Tabā’ah

[iii] Sūrah Baqarah: 227-241, Sūrah al-Nisā’: 21, 35

[iv] Qur’ānic Translations are from Sahih

International

[v] Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 5267, Chapter of “O Prophet!

Why do you forbid that which Allah has allowed to
you…? (Bāb Lima Tuḥarrimu Mā Aḥallahu Lak), I heard
`Aisha saying, “The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬used to stay for a long
while with Zainab bint Jahsh and drink honey at her
house. So Hafsa and I decided that if the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬
came to anyone of us, she should say him, “I detect the
smell of Maghafir (a nasty smelling gum) in you. Have
you eaten Maghafir?’ ” So the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬visited one
of them and she said to him similarly. The Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬
said, “Never mind, I have taken some honey at the
house of Zainab bint Jahsh, but I shall never drink of it
anymore.” So there was revealed: ‘O Prophet ! Why do
you ban (for you) that which Allah has made lawful for
you . . . If you two (wives of Prophet) turn in repentance
to Allah,’ (66.1-4) addressing Aisha and Hafsa. ‘When
the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬disclosed a matter in confidence to
some of his wives.’ (66.3) namely his saying: But I have
taken some honey.” ‫ول‬ ُ ‫ يَ ُق‬،‫س ِمعَ ُعبَيْ َد بْ َن ُع َميْ ٍر‬ َ ‫ ُه‬/‫ال زَ َع َم َعطَا ٌء أَن‬ َ ‫َق‬
‫ صلى ا) عليه وسلم َكا َن‬/‫ ِبي‬/ ‫ن الن‬/ َ ‫ش َة ـ رضى ا) عنها ـ أ‬ ِ ‫ت َع‬
َ ‫ائ‬ ُ ‫س ِم ْع‬ َ
‫ث ِعن ْ َد ز‬ ُ ‫يَ ْم ُك‬s‫ت أَنَا‬ َ ‫ فَت َ َو‬،ًõ‫س‬
ُ ْ‫اصي‬ َ ‫ب ِعن ْ َد َها َع‬ ُ ‫ش َر‬ ْ َ‫ َوي‬،‫ش‬ ِ
ٍ ‫ب ابْنَة َج ْح‬ َ َ ‫يْن‬
‫ي‬I‫ صلى ا) عليه وسلم فَ ْلت َ ُق ْل إِن‬K‫ ِبي‬/ ‫خ َل َع َليْ َها الن‬ َ ‫تَنَا َد‬/‫ن أَي‬/ َ ‫ص ُة أ‬ َ ْ‫َو َحف‬
ْ ‫خ َل َع َلى إِ ْح َدا ُه َما فَ َقا َل‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ َ‫أ‬
‫ت َل ُه‬ َ ‫ير فَ َد‬ َ ‫ت َم َغاف‬ َ ‫ أ َ َك ْل‬،‫ير‬ َ ‫ج ُد من ْ َك ِريحَ َم َغاف‬
.” ‫ش َو َل ْن أ َ ُعو َد َل ُه‬ ٍ ‫ب ابْن َ ِة َج ْح‬ َ َ ‫ً ِعن ْ َد زَيْن‬õ‫س‬ َ ‫ت َع‬ ُ ْ‫ش ِرب‬ َ ‫ال ” •َ بَ ْل‬ َ ‫ فَ َق‬،‫ذَلِ َك‬
{‫ل ِه‬/ ‫ل ُه َل َك{ إِ َلى }إِ ْن تَتُوبَا إِ َلى ال‬/ ‫ل ال‬/ ‫ر ُم َما أ َ َح‬I ‫ لِ َم تُ َح‬K‫ ِبي‬/ ‫ي َها الن‬K َ ‫ت } َيا أ‬ ْ ‫فَنَزَ َل‬
َ ‫ج ِه{ لِ َق ْولِ ِه ” بَ ْل‬ ِ ‫ إِ َلى بَ ْع‬K‫ ِبي‬/ ‫ر الن‬/ ‫س‬ َ َ ‫ص َة } َو إِ ْذ أ‬ َ ْ‫ش َة َو َحف‬ َ ‫ائ‬ ِ ‫لِ َع‬
‫ت‬ ُ ْ‫ش ِرب‬ ِ ‫ض أَزْ َوا‬
ًõ‫س‬ َ ‫َع‬

[vi] A common misunderstanding within the Islamic

divorce process is that the man simply gives his
wife three verbal divorces to end their marriage.
But, this method is actually impermissible
according to the consensus of Islamic legal
scholars. A proper divorce within the Islamic legal
tradition is initiated through ṭalāq for the man and
khula’ for the woman. In the case of ṭalāq, the man
will utter words to his wife intending to divorce
her, which will then begin divorce proceedings. The
divorce will take roughly three months to actualize
in congruence to three menstrual cycles of the
woman. In the period of these three cycles, the
man and woman can reconcile and end the Islamic
divorce proceedings. If they do not reconcile after
the three cycle period, the divorce actualizes and
they are not married according to Islamic law
anymore. This full process can happen twice. If the
man and woman get married for a third time, and
begin divorce proceedings then, neither can they
get back together during the three cycle period,
nor can they get married again. But, until and
unless the woman gets married to another man,
consummates the marriage, and divorces him, only
then can she get back together with her first
husband.

[vii] ‫قد ذكرها بعضهم في أزواج النبي و• يصح من ذلك الشيء‬

‫بكثرة ا•ضطراب‬

[viii] ‫ت إلى النّبيّ صلى ا) عليه وآله وسلم ووهبت نفسها له‬ ْ ‫وأقب َل‬
‫ وقد تق ّدمت‬.‫ فلما رأى عليها كبرةً طلقها‬،‫ فقبلها ودخل عليها‬،‫بغير مهر‬
‫هذه القصة عن أم شريك بلفظ آخر من وجه آخر في ترجمة بنت أبي‬
‫الواقدي‬
ّ ِ ‫س‬
‫ وفيه‬،‫ وسنَدهُ مرسل‬،‫اء‬ َ I ‫ال َع َكر في ُكنَى الن‬

[ix] ‫ عن‬،‫ عن جابر‬،‫ وأنبأنا وكيع عن شريك‬:‫قال محمد بن سعد‬

‫ أن رسول ا) ﷺ تزوج أم شريك‬Ö‫ عن علي بن الحس‬،‫الحكم‬
‫الدوسية‬

[x] ‫ ثنا موسى بن محمد بن‬،‫ أنبأنا الواقدي‬:‫وقال محمد بن سعد‬

‫ كانت أم شريك امرأة من بني عامر بن‬:‫إبراهيم التيمي عن أبيه قال‬
‫ فلم تتزوج حتى ماتت‬،‫لؤي قد وهبت نفسها لرسول ا) فلم يقبلها‬

[xi] ‫ ثنا موسى بن محمد بن‬،‫ أنبأنا الواقدي‬:‫وقال محمد بن سعد‬

‫ كانت أم شريك امرأة من بني عامر بن‬:‫إبراهيم التيمي عن أبيه قال‬
.‫ فلم تتزوج حتى ماتت‬،‫لؤي قد وهبت نفسها لرسول ا) فلم يقبلها‬
‫ عن‬،‫ عن الحكم‬،‫ عن جابر‬،‫ وأنبأنا وكيع عن شريك‬:‫قال محمد بن سعد‬
‫ قال‬.‫ أن رسول ا) ﷺ تزوج أم شريك الدوسية‬Ö‫علي بن الحس‬
:‫ قال محمد بن سعد‬.‫زد‬ß‫ الثبت عندنا أنها من دوس من ا‬:‫الواقدي‬
‫ وقال الليث بن سعد عن هشام بن‬.‫ غزية بنت جابر بن حكيم‬:‫واسمها‬
‫ أن أم شريك كانت وهبت نفسها للنبي‬:‫ عن أبيه قال متحدث‬،‫محمد‬
‫ﷺ وكانت امرأة صالحة‬.

[xii] 2178 (438 : ‫ الصفحة‬2 : ‫جلد‬Ñ‫ )ا‬، ‫ير بْ ُن ُعبَيْ ٍد‬ ِ

ُ ‫دثَنَا َكث‬/ ‫َح‬
، ‫ب بْ ِن ِدثَا ٍر‬ِ ‫ َع ْن ُم َحا ِر‬، ‫اص ٍل‬ ِ ‫ف بْ ِن َو‬ ِ ‫ َع ْن ُم َعر‬، ‫خالِ ٍد‬
I َ ‫م ُد بْ ُن‬/ ‫دثَنَا ُم َح‬/ ‫َح‬
‫ ِل‬õَ ‫ض ا ْل َح‬ ُ ‫ ” أَبْ َغ‬: ‫ال‬ َ ‫ل ُه َع َليْ ِه َو‬/ ‫لى ال‬/ ‫ص‬
َ ‫ل َم َق‬/ ‫س‬ َ I‫ ِبي‬/ ‫ َع ِن الن‬، ‫َع ِن ابْ ِن ُع َم َر‬
ُ‫ق‬õَ /‫ل ِه تَ َعا َلى الط‬/ ‫“ إِ َلى ال‬.

[xiii] This was a political faction that existed during

the time of the caliph ‘Uthmān. They contended
originally that faith and actions are delinked. Later,
they evolved into a theological school.

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