Question:

Husband #1 divorces wife one time. Two weeks into the Iddah, the wife marries another Muslim in the civil court. Husband #1 is unaware of the marriage that took place between  the wife and husband #2. Two weeks before the 1^st Iddah was completed, the husband #1 takes the wife back and had intercourse.

After the 1^st Iddah is stopped, the Husband #1 is told of the marriage done in the civil court and that the marriage had been consummated before the husband #2 and the wife decided to divorce.

What are the position and condition of these individuals? Who is married and who is not?

Follow up Question:

What were the exact words used to issue the Talaq?

Has the second husband divorced her or not? If not, did he explicitly express his desire of leaving her?

Follow up Answer:

As salaamu alaikum the 1st husband said I divorce you one time and he knows they separated after they were told the marriage was invalid by the 2nd husband Imam. He’s not aware of what or how they separated.

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

You have stated that husband #1 divorces his wife one time and takes her back and has intercourse two weeks before the 1st Iddah is complete. If this is the case, she is currently the rightful wife of husband #1.[1]

You have stated that two weeks into the Iddah, the wife marries another Muslim in the civil court. As such, the marriage in the civil court with husband #2 is a voidable Nikah (Nikah Faasid), since it took place during the Iddah of the first marriage.[2] The ruling for such a Nikah is that it must be terminated.

You have stated that husband #1 was told that the marriage with husband#2 was consummated. If that is true, then an Iddah (waiting period) is necessary upon the wife from the time the termination of the Nikah takes place between the wife and Husband #2.[3] A verbal declaration of terminating the Nikah (such as “I have separated from you” or “I have terminated this Nikah”) by either the husband or wife is necessary for the termination to take place.[4]

If the termination of the Nikah with husband #2 takes place before the termination of the Iddah of husband #1, then the two Iddats will continue simultaneously until the termination of Iddah #1. Thereafter, the remaining period of Iddah #2 will continue independently until its termination.[5]

While the wife is still in the Iddah of the second marriage, it is not permissible for husband #1 to have intercourse with his wife.[6]

Note: You have stated that the marriage with Husband #2 was consummated. If this is the case, then it is binding on Husband #2 to pay the wife the lesser amount between the stipulated Mahr at the time of Nikah and the Mahr Mithl (the average Mahr of the women in her family).[7]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

(Mufti) Abdul Azeem bin Abdur Rahman

Checked and Approved by my Esteemed Ustadh,

Mufti Husain Kadodia Saheb Hafidhahullah

Disclaimer:

The Shar’a ruling herein given is based specifically on the question posed and should be read in conjunction with the question.

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[1]  بَابُ الرَّجْعَةِ

بِالْفَتْحِ وَتُكْسَرُ يَتَعَدَّى وَلَا يَتَعَدَّى (هِيَ اسْتِدَامَةُ الْمِلْكِ الْقَائِمِ) بِلَا عِوَضٍ مَا دَامَتْ (فِي الْعِدَّةِ) (الدر المختار مع رد المحتار، ج 3، ص 397-398، سعيد)

وَإِذَا كَانَ طَلَاقُ الْأَوَّلِ رَجْعِيًّا كَانَ لَهُ أَنْ يُرَاجِعَهَا فِي عِدَّتِهِ، وَلَا يَطَؤُهَا حَتَّى تَنْقَضِيَ عِدَّةُ الثَّانِي اهـ مُلَخَّصًا. (رد المحتار، ج 3، ص 519، سعيد)

[2]   وَتَقَدَّمَ فِي بَابِ الْمَهْرِ أَنَّ الدُّخُولَ فِي النِّكَاحِ الْفَاسِدِ مُوجِبٌ لِلْعِدَّةِ وَثُبُوتِ النَّسَبِ، وَمَثَّلَ لَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ هُنَاكَ بِالتَّزَوُّجِ بِلَا شُهُودٍ وَتَزَوُّجِ الْأُخْتَيْنِ مَعًا، أَوْ الْأُخْتِ فِي عِدَّةِ الْأُخْتِ، وَنِكَاحِ الْمُعْتَدَّةِ وَالْخَامِسَةِ فِي عِدَّةِ الرَّابِعَةِ وَالْأَمَةِ عَلَى الْحُرَّةِ. (رد المحتار، ج 3، ص 516، سعيد)

احسن الفتاوى، ج 5، ص 18-19 و ص 62-63، سعيد

[3]  وَفِي الدُّرَرِ: اعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ إذَا وَجَبَ عَلَيْهَا عِدَّتَانِ، فَإِمَّا أَنْ يَكُونَا مِنْ رَجُلَيْنِ، أَوْ مِنْ وَاحِدٍ، فَفِي الثَّانِي لَا شَكَّ أَنَّ الْعِدَّتَيْنِ تَدَاخَلَتَا، وَفِي الْأَوَّلِ إنْ كَانَتَا مِنْ جِنْسَيْنِ كَالْمُتَوَفَّى عَنْهَا زَوْجُهَا إذَا وُطِئَتْ بِشُبْهَةٍ، أَوْ مِنْ جِنْسٍ وَاحِدٍ كَالْمُطَلَّقَةِ إذَا تَزَوَّجَتْ فِي عِدَّتِهَا فَوَطِئَهَا الثَّانِي وَفُرِّقَ بَيْنَهُمَا تَدَاخَلَتَا عِنْدَنَا وَيَكُونُ مَا تَرَاهُ مِنْ الْحَيْضِ مُحْتَسَبًا مِنْهُمَا جَمِيعًا، وَإِذَا انْقَضَتْ الْعِدَّةُ الْأُولَى وَلَمْ تُكْمِلْ الثَّانِيَةَ فَعَلَيْهَا إتْمَامُ الثَّانِيَةِ. اهـ. (رد المحتار، ج 3، ص 519، سعيد)

احسن الفتاوى، ج 5، ص 18-19، سعيد

[4]  وَقَدْ صَرَّحُوا فِي النِّكَاحِ الْفَاسِدِ بِأَنَّ الْمُتَارَكَةَ لَا تَتَحَقَّقُ إلَّا بِالْقَوْلِ، إنْ كَانَتْ مَدْخُولًا بِهَا كَتَرَكْتُك أَوْ خَلَّيْت سَبِيلَك (رد المحتار، ج 3، ص 37، سعيد)

قَالَ فِي الْبَحْرِ: وَرَجَّحْنَا فِي بَابِ الْمَهْرِ أَنَّهَا تَكُونُ مِنْ الْمَرْأَةِ أَيْضًا، وَلِذَا ذَكَرَ مِسْكِينٌ مِنْ صُوَرِهَا أَنْ تَقُولَ: فَارَقْتُكَ. اهـ. وَرَجَّحَهُ بِاتِّفَاقِهِمْ عَلَى أَنَّ لِكُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا فَسْخَ هَذَا النِّكَاحِ، وَالْفَسْخُ مُتَارَكَةٌ اهـ.

احسن الفتاوى، ج 5، ص 21، سعيد

[5]  (قَوْلُهُ: وَالْمَرْئِيُّ مِنْهُمَا إلَخْ) بَيَانٌ لِلتَّدَاخُلِ، فَلَوْ كَانَتْ وُطِئَتْ بَعْدَ حَيْضَةٍ مِنْ الْأُولَى فَعَلَيْهَا حَيْضَتَانِ تَكْمِلَةَ الْأُولَى وَتَحْتَسِبُ بِهِمَا مِنْ عِدَّةِ الثَّانِي، فَإِذَا حَاضَتْ وَاحِدَةً بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ تَمَّتْ الثَّانِيَةُ أَيْضًا نَهْرٌ، وَهَذَا إذَا كَانَ بَعْدَ التَّفْرِيقِ بَيْنَهُمَا وَبَيْنَ الْوَاطِئِ الثَّانِي، أَمَّا إذَا حَاضَتْ حَيْضَةً قَبْلَهُ فَهِيَ مِنْ عِدَّةِ الْأَوَّلِ خَاصَّةً، وَتَمَامُهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ عَنْ الْجَوْهَرَةِ.(لرد المحتار، ج 3، ص 519، سعيد)

[6]  وَإِذَا كَانَ طَلَاقُ الْأَوَّلِ رَجْعِيًّا كَانَ لَهُ أَنْ يُرَاجِعَهَا فِي عِدَّتِهِ، وَلَا يَطَؤُهَا حَتَّى تَنْقَضِيَ عِدَّةُ الثَّانِي اهـ مُلَخَّصًا. (رد المحتار، ج 3، ص 519، سعيد)

[7]  احسن الفتاوى، ج 5، ص 18، سعيد