Divorce in Writing

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع عَنْ رَجُلٍ قَالَ لِرَجُلٍ اكْتُبْ يَا فُلَانُ إِلَى امْرَأَتِي بِطَلَاقِهَا أَوِ اكْتُبْ إِلَى عَبْدِي بِعِتْقِهِ يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ طَلَاقاً أَوْ عِتْقاً فَقَالَ لَا يَكُونُ طَلَاقاً وَ لَا عِتْقاً حَتَّى يَنْطِقَ بِهِ لِسَانُهُ أَوْ يَخُطَّهُ بِيَدِهِ وَ هُوَ يُرِيدُ الطَّلَاقَ أَوِ الْعِتْقَ وَ يَكُونَ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ بِالْأَهِلَّةِ وَ الشُّهُودِ وَ يَكُونَ غَائِباً عَنْ أَهْلِهِ.

“I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the case of a man who says to another man, ‘O so and so write to my wife her divorce or to my slave that he is free; if it is a divorce and setting free of a slave. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not a divorce or freedom until he says by his own tongue or his own handwriting and with

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع رَجُلٌ كَتَبَ بِطَلَاقِ امْرَأَتِهِ أَوْ بِعِتْقِ غُلَامِهِ ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُ فَمَحَاهُ قَالَ لَيْسَ ذَلِكَ بِطَلَاقٍ وَ لَا عَتَاقٍ حَتَّى يَتَكَلَّمَ بِهِ.

“I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the case of a man who divorces his wife in writing or sets free his slave; he then changes his mind and deletes it. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not a divorce or setting free of a slave until he pronounces it through his mouth.’”