Women who Become Unlawful for Marriage Forever

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘A woman who because of al-Mula‘inah (condemnation) when it (condemnation) is from the husband becomes unlawful for marriage for him forever; a woman who is married during her waiting period knowing all about her condition becomes unlawful for him forever; a woman divorced three times in a way whereafter he can only marry her again after her marriage with another man, remarry her three times, each time after the above process, she then becomes unlawful for him forever and a woman whom one marries in the state of Ihram knowing that it is unlawful becomes unlawful for him forever.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If one marries a woman during her waiting period and goes to bed with her, she becomes unlawful for him forever, regardless, he knows or not, but if he has not gone to bed with her, she is lawful for the one ignorant of her condition and is unlawful for the other (one who knows her condition).”’

“I once asked abu Ibrahim (a.s.), about the case of a man who married a woman during her waiting period because of ignorance; if she became unlawful for him forever. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, if marriage is because of ignorance he must marry her again after the waiting period is complete; people due to ignorance are sometimes forgiven even for an issue bigger than this.’ I then asked, ‘Of the two which ignorance is excused, ignorance of its unlawfulness or ignorance of her being in the waiting period?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Of the two the ignorance which is easier is excused, and it is ignorance of the fact that Allah has made it unlawful because with it he cannot maintain precaution.’ I then asked, ‘Will he because of such ignorance be excused on the Day of Judgment?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, when her waiting period is complete he is excused if he marries her.’ I then asked, ‘What happens if one knows and the other is ignorant?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘The one who knowingly has done it can never return to his companion.’”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a woman who is pregnant and her husband dies. She gives birth and marries before the passing of four months and ten days. He (the Imam) said, ‘If he has gone to bed with her, they must be separated from each other and she will be unlawful for him forever. She must complete the remaining of her waiting period and complete another waiting period from the end of that for three cycles of menses, but if he has not gone to bed with her, they must separated from each other and she must complete the remaining of her waiting period and he then is one of the people who can propose to her for marriage.’”

“I once asked abu Ja’far (a.s.), about the case of a woman who was pregnant and her husband died. She gave birth and married before the passing of four months and ten days. He (the Imam) said, ‘If the one who has married has gone to bed with her, they must separate from each other and she is not lawful for him forever. She must complete the remaining of her first waiting period and complete another waiting period in future for three cycles of menses; but if he has not gone to bed with her, they must separate from each other and she must complete the remaining of her waiting period. He then is one of those who can propose to her for marriage.’”

“I once asked him (the Imam) (a.s.), about the case of a man who married a woman during her waiting period. He (the Imam) said, ‘They must separate from each other; and if he has gone to bed with her he must pay mahr (dower) for making his going to bed with her lawful. They must separate from each other and she is not lawful for him forever. If he has not gone to bed with her she does not have any mahr (dower).”’

“Abu ‘Abd Allah, and abu al-Hassan, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, have said, ‘If a man (1) divorces a woman then remarries her, then (2) he divorces and the same husband marries her, then (3) divorces her and another man marries her then this man divorces her and the first man marries her then the first husband divorces her in the same way up to three times, she thereafter becomes unlawful for him forever.’”

“I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the case of a man who married a woman during her waiting period. He (the Imam) said, ‘If he has gone to bed with her, they must separate from each other and she is not lawful for him forever. She must complete the remaining time of the first waiting period and complete another waiting period thereafter, but if he has not gone to bed with her they must separate from each other and she must complete the first waiting period and he can be of those who can propose to her for marriage.’”

“About the case of a man who marries a woman during her waiting period, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘They must separate from each other and she must complete her waiting period. If he has gone to bed with her he must pay mahr (dower) for his going to bed and they must separate from each other. If he has not gone to bed with her then she has no mahr (dower). He (the narrator) has said, ‘I then asked him (the Imam) about the case of a man who divorced then returned to his wife then divorced and then returned then divorced.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘She is not lawful for him until she marries another man and who divorces her according to the Sunnah then she returns to her first husband who divorces her three times according to the Sunnah then she marries another man then she marries. Such woman is the one who becomes unlawful for him forever and because of al-Mula‘inah (condemnation) also she becomes unlawful for him forever.”’

“I once said to abu Ibrahim (a.s.), ‘It is narrated to us from your father that if a man marries a woman during her waiting period she becomes unlawful for him forever.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘That is the case if he knows about it, but if he is ignorant he must separate from her and she must complete the waiting period then he can marry her anew.’”

“He (the Imam) (a.s.), has said, ‘If a man marries a woman and knows that she has a husband, they must separate from each other and she becomes unlawful for him forever.’”

(...Consult Fatwah about this Hadith)

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If a man divorces a woman, then she marries a man then he divorces her then she marries the first man then divorces her and she marries a man then divorces her then she marries the first man then he divorces her, she becomes unlawful for him forever.’”