Ila’ (an oath to abstain from one’s wife)

Question

Zayd has two wives. One day a quarrel was going on at home, and Zayd said: «زوجہ اولی صرف چار ماہ تک اس گھر میں رہ سکتی ہے، اس کے بعد اس کا مجھ سے پردہ ہو جائے گا» (“The first wife can stay in this house for only four months; after that she will observe hijab from me”). The question is: does ila’ apply to this or not? He also said: «اپنے والدین کے گھر چلی جاو اور کسی سے نکاح ثانی کر لے» (“Go to your parents’ house and contract a second marriage with someone”). What is the ruling on these words?

Answer

Zayd’s words that «زوجہ اولی چار ماہ تک اس گھر میں رہ سکتی ہے، اس کے بعد اس کا مجھ سے پردہ ہو جائے گا» (“the first wife can stay in this house for four months; after that she will observe hijab from me”) are not words of ila’, and no ila’ has taken place by them.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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