Until when may khul‘ be accepted

Question

Question: A written offer (ijab) of khul‘ came from the wife. The husband does not remember whether he accepted it in the majlis al-‘ilm (the sitting in which he learned of it) or not, because much time has passed. This much, however, did happen: the husband replied to that khul‘ letter after one month, in the hope that perhaps the wife’s mind would change and she would withdraw; or else the wife, after fifteen days, replied to that letter of the husband: “Khul‘ is not acceptable to me, come and fetch,” and in…

Answer

The nikah certainly exists, and as long as something certain that removes it is not established, it will not be ruled to have ended, and that is not present here; that is, acceptance of the khul‘ offer is in that very sitting in which the offer was made or in which the offer became known.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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