إسماعيل بن مرار

“I read in the letter of a man to al-Rida’ (a.s.), that said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, if a man marries a woman in the manner of Mut‘ah for an appointed time which expires; if he can marry her sister before her sister completes her waiting period.’ He (the Imam) had written to him, ‘It is not lawful for him to marry before her waiting period is complete.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who divorces his wife when he is absent from her. He arranges witnesses about his divorce; then he comes home and stays with her for months without informing her of divorce and the woman claims to have become pregnant but the man says. ‘I had divorced you in the presence of witnesses. He (the Imam) said, ‘He is responsible for the child and his words are not accepted.’”

If he has done so during a Hayd (menses)-free period in the presence of witnesses and it is understood from him as it is understood from people like him who decide to divorce, his divorce is permissible according to Sunnah.

“About the case of a woman who receives news of the death of her husband, then she marries; then her first husband comes who divorces her and also the second husband divorces. Ibrahim al-Nakha‘iy has said that she must count two waiting periods. Zurarah then took the question to abu Ja‘far (a.s.), who said that she has only one waiting period.’”