He called his wife “sister”

Question

Question: A satanic whisper (waswasa) comes into a man’s mind: “Your wife is your sister, so call her sister.” One day, addressing Satan, he said: “What business is it of yours? She will be a sister.” Has his wife then become unlawful (haram) for him? Will this have any effect as regards talaq or not?

Answer

No talaq whatsoever has taken effect through this; let Zayd be entirely at ease. Even if he calls his wife “sister” with his tongue, there will still be no talaq, and Satan will remain thwarted and a loser. However, calling one’s wife “sister” is makruh; one should not say it.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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