If a Man Says to his Wife, ‘You are Unlawful for me”

“I once asked Abu Ja’far (a.s.), about the case of a man who says to his wife, ‘You are unlawful for me.’ He (the Imam) said to me, ‘Had I control over him I would have hurt his head and said to him that Allah has made her lawful for you, then what has made her unlawful for you? In fact, the one who says it(‘You are unlawful for me’) has lied, because then he would claim that what Allah has made lawful for him is unlawful, and there is no divorce or expiation on him.‘ I then asked about the meaning of the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, ‘O Prophet, why do you make unlawful what Allah has made lawful for you’ (66:1), then expiation is made necessary.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘He only made unlawful for him his slave-girl Maria, and swore not to go near her. He made expiation necessary on him in the case of swearing, not in the case of making something unlawful.’”

“I once asked abu Ja’far (a.s.), about the case of a man who says to his wife, ‘You are unlawful for me.’ We in Iraq narrate that Ali (a.s.), made it three times (divorce). He (the Imam) said, ‘They have spoken a lie. He (the Imam) did not make it (one’s saying, ‘You are unlawful for me’) a divorce. Had I the control over him I would have given him a headache. I then say to him that Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has made it lawful for you. You have done nothing other than speaking a lie by saying unlawful what Allah has made lawful.’”

“Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that Shabbah ibn ‘ Aqqal once said to me, ‘You think that if one says, “What Allah has made lawful is unlawful for me” (as you believe) does not have any valid effect.’ I said, ‘About your word ‘lawful is unlawful for me’ you can consider what ’Amir al- Mu’minin, al-Walid decided about the issue of Salamah and his wife when he sent for a fatwa from people of Iraq and people of al-Sham who had differences over the issue. He then decided according to the words of the people of al-Hijjaz who say that it does not have any valid effect.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who says to his wife, ‘You are unlawful for me.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘There is no expiation on him and it is not a divorce.’”