 Practice.svg)
Triple Talaq and the Prophet Muhammad’s (P.B.U.H) Practice
The Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) discouraged the instant triple talaq practice. According to a narration
by Abdullah bin Abbas, pronouncing talaq thrice in a single instance was treated as one talaq during the
Prophet’s time, continuing through the first Caliph Abu Bakr’s tenure and into the early years of Caliph
Umar’s rule (Sahih Muslim, 1482).
A notable instance involved Rukanah bin Yazid, who divorced his wife three times in one sitting. Upon
regretting his actions, he approached the Prophet (P.B.U.H), who clarified that his triple pronouncement
counted as a single talaq, allowing him to reconcile with his wife.
Differences in Interpretation of Triple Talaq Among Islamic Schools of Thought
Islamic scholars have long debated the validity and implications of pronouncing “I divorce you” three
times in one sitting. This form, known as Talaq-e-Biddat, is acknowledged by certain Sunni schools,
particularly the Hanafi school, although they regard it as a sinful form of divorce. Other schools of
thought argue that a triple pronouncement counts as only one divorce.
Rulings on Triple Talaq by Islamic Scholars
Renowned scholar Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) addressed the matter,
explaining that while some scholars view a threefold divorce as final, making the woman unlawful to the
husband until she remarries, others treat it as a single divorce. These latter scholars base their stance on
traditions indicating that during the times of the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.), Abu Bakr, and early
years of Caliph Umar’s rule, a triple talaq was considered as one. Caliph Umar later introduced the
practice of treating it as three due to misuse of the provision by the people.
This more lenient approach, treating triple talaq as one, was also supported by several early scholars,
such as Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), who narrated that the Prophet once permitted the
revocation of a triple pronouncement in a single sitting as one talaq. This position was later endorsed by
scholars such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on them),
favoring the view for its alignment with core Islamic teachings on compassion and reconciliation.
