Muslim man told his divorce joke to wife on Skype stands

London, Oct 30 (ANI): A Muslim man, who jokingly told his wife "talak, talak, talak" (I divorce thee, I divorce thee, I divorce thee) in an online Skype messenger conversation, has been told the separation stands.

The ruling was made in an online fatwa by the Darul Uloom Deobandi seminary in northern India, which is regarded as one of Islam's leading authorities on religious law, after the man, from Qatar sought clarification.

"Jokingly typed 'talak, talak, talak' (I divorce thee, I divorce thee, I divorce thee) to my wife on Skype chat. I don't understand Islam very much and did not know about how talaq works," the Telegraph quoted him as having written.

"We love each other very much and want to be together but right now we are caught in this thing. Want to know a way out," he wrote.

But his hopes of a way out were dashed when the seminary issued a fatwa confirming his wife must first remarry another man, consummate the marriage, and then divorce him before she could be allowed to remarry her first husband.

"When you gave three talaqs, your wife became 'haram' (forbidden) for you. Neither you have the right to take her back nor solemnise a new 'nikah' (marriage) without a valid 'halalah' (second marriage)," the fatwa stated.

"After the completion of 'iddah' (a three month waiting period following a divorce), the woman can marry whomever she wishes except you," the ruling concluded.

The ruling means the couple will have to wait at least six months to remarry and bear the strain of the wife remarrying, having sex with another man, and divorcing again.

"Allah and his Prophet have said the worst thing a couple does is to seek divorce. This is a hated act but the provision for Talaq in Islam is for unavoidable circumstances not for teasing or jokes," Maulana Arshid Madani, President of Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind, one of the largest Muslim organisations in India, said. (ANI)