Divorce of People with Mental Condition and Insane Ones and their Guardian

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع الرَّجُلُ الْأَحْمَقُ الذَّاهِبُ الْعَقْلِ يَجُوزُ طَلَاقُ وَلِيِّهِ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ وَ لِمَ لَا يُطَلِّقُ هُوَ قُلْتُ لَا يُؤْمَنُ إِنْ طَلَّقَ هُوَ أَنْ يَقُولَ غَداً لَمْ أُطَلِّقْ أَوْ لَا يُحْسِنُ أَنْ يُطَلِّقَ قَالَ مَا أَرَى وَلِيَّهُ إِلَّا بِمَنْزِلَةِ السُّلْطَانِ.

“I once asked abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who has a mental condition and his reason is gone; if divorce by his guardian is permissible. He (the Imam) said, ‘Why does he not divorce?’ I replied, ‘He does not feel safe because tomorrow he may say that he did not divorce or he does not know how to do i

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع رَجُلٌ يَعْرِفُ رَأْيَهُ مَرَّةً وَ يُنْكِرُهُ أُخْرَى يَجُوزُ طَلَاقُ وَلِيِّهِ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ مَا لَهُ هُوَ لَا يُطَلِّقُ قُلْتُ لَا يَعْرِفُ حَدَّ الطَّلَاقِ- وَ لَا يُؤْمَنُ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ طَلَّقَ الْيَوْمَ أَنْ يَقُولَ غَداً لَمْ أُطَلِّقْ قَالَ مَا أَرَاهُ إِلَّا بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْإِمَامِ يَعْنِي الْوَلِيَّ.

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who sometime understands and sometimes does not understand: if his divorce by his guardian is permissible. He (the Imam) asked, ‘What is the matter with him, why does he not divorce?’ I replied, ‘He does not know the rules of divorce and does not feel safe. P

أَنَّ الْمُوَلَّهَ‌[1] لَيْسَ لَهُ طَلَاقٌ وَ لَا عِتْقُهُ عِتْقٌ.

“Abu Ja‘far, and abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), have said, ‘Divorce by al-Muwallah (confused, excited, awestruck); one’s divorce and setting free of slaves is not valid.’”

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ طَلَاقِ الْمَعْتُوهِ الذَّاهِبِ الْعَقْلِ أَ يَجُوزُ طَلَاقُهُ قَالَ لَا وَ عَنِ الْمَرْأَةِ إِذَا كَانَتْ كَذَلِكَ أَ يَجُوزُ بَيْعُهَا أَوْ صَدَقَتُهَا قَالَ لَا.

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who has a mental condition whose reason has gone; if his divorce is permissible. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, it is not permissible.’ About a woman of the same condition if her selling and charity is permissible, he (the Imam) said, ‘It is not permissible.’”

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ الْمَعْتُوهُ الَّذِي لَا يُحْسِنُ أَنْ يُطَلِّقَ يُطَلِّقُ عَنْهُ وَلِيُّهُ عَلَى السُّنَّةِ قُلْتُ فَإِنْ جَهِلَ فَطَلَّقَهَا ثَلَاثاً فِي مَقْعَدٍ قَالَ يُرَدُّ إِلَى السُّنَّةِ فَإِذَا مَضَتْ ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْهُرٍ أَوْ ثَلَاثَةُ قُرُوءٍ فَقَدْ بَانَتْ مِنْهُ بِوَاحِدَةٍ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If a man because of a mental condition cannot divorce properly, his guardian must do it for him according to Sunnah .’ I then asked, ‘What happens if because of ignorance he divorced her three times at the same place and time?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is returned to the Sunnah and whe

كُلُّ طَلَاقٍ جَائِزٌ إِلَّا طَلَاقَ الْمَعْتُوهِ أَوِ الصَّبِيِّ أَوْ مُبَرْسَمٍ أَوْ مَجْنُونٍ أَوْ مَكْرُوهٍ‌[1].

‘Divorce is permissible except divorce by a man with mental condition, a child or Mubarsam, (suffering from a disease of diaphragm), an insane or a coerced one.”’

يُطَلِّقُ عَنْهُ وَلِيُّهُ فَإِنِّي أَرَاهُ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْإِمَامِ.

“About the case of a man suffering from a mental condition, abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘His guardian divorces for him because I see him like the Imam (for him).”’