Chapter on the Divorce of a Missing Person

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنِ الْمَفْقُودِ كَيْفَ تَصْنَعُ امْرَأَتُهُ قَالَ مَا سَكَتَتْ عَنْهُ وَ صَبَرَتْ يُخَلَّى عَنْهَا وَ إِنْ هِيَ رَفَعَتْ أَمْرَهَا إِلَى الْوَالِي أَجَّلَهَا أَرْبَعَ سِنِينَ ثُمَّ يَكْتُبُ إِلَى الصُّقْعِ الَّذِي فُقِدَ فِيهِ‌[1] فَيُسْأَلُ عَنْهُ فَإِنْ خُبِّرَ عَنْهُ بِحَيَاةٍ صَبَرَتْ وَ إِنْ لَمْ يُخْبَرْ عَنْهُ بِحَيَاةٍ حَتَّى تَمْضِيَ الْأَرْبَعُ سِنِينَ- دُعِيَ وَلِيُّ الزَّ

Hadith.4883 - In a narration from Umar ibn Udhayna through Buraid ibn Mu'awiyah, it is reported that he asked Abu Abdullah (as) about the ruling concerning the wife of a missing person. Imam (as) replied: "As long as she remains silent about him and is patient, she should be left as she is. However, if she raises the m

فِي رِوَايَةٍ أُخْرَى‌ أَنَّهُ إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِلزَّوْجِ وَلِيٌّ طَلَّقَهَا الْوَالِي وَ يُشْهِدُ شَاهِدَيْنِ عَدْلَيْنِ فَيَكُونُ طَلَاقُ الْوَالِي طَلَاقَ الزَّوْجِ وَ تَعْتَدُّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَ عَشْراً ثُمَّ تَتَزَوَّجُ إِنْ شَاءَتْ‌[4].

Hadith.4884 - In another narration, it is reported: "If the missing husband has no guardian, the ruler will pronounce the divorce on his behalf, witnessing it with two just witnesses. This divorce by the ruler will be considered as the husband's divorce. The woman will then observe a waiting period (iddah) of four mont

إِذَا نُعِيَ الرَّجُلُ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ أَوْ خَبَّرُوهَا أَنَّهُ طَلَّقَهَا فَاعْتَدَّتْ ثُمَّ تَزَوَّجَتْ فَجَاءَ زَوْجُهَا بَعْدُ فَإِنَّ الْأَوَّلَ أَحَقُّ بِهَا مِنْ هَذَا الْآخَرِ دَخَلَ بِهَا الْآخَرُ أَوْ لَمْ يَدْخُلْ وَ لَهَا مِنَ الْآخَرِ الْمَهْرُ بِمَا اسْتَحَلَّ مِنْ فَرْجِهَا وَ زَادَ عَبْدُ الْكَرِيمِ فِي حَدِيثِهِ وَ لَيْسَ لِلْآخَرِ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَهَا أَبَداً[1].

"If a man is reported dead to his family or they are informed that he has divorced his wife, and she observes her waiting period (iddah) and then remarries, but later her first husband returns, then the first husband has more right to her than the second, whether the second husband consummated the marriage or not. Howe

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع عَنْ رَجُلٍ حَسِبَ أَهْلُهُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ مَاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ فَنَكَحَتِ امْرَأَتُهُ وَ تَزَوَّجَتْ سُرِّيَّتُهُ فَوَلَدَتْ كُلُّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُمَا مِنْ زَوْجِهَا فَجَاءَ زَوْجُهَا الْأَوَّلُ وَ مَوْلَى السُّرِّيَّةِ فَقَالَ يَأْخُذُ امْرَأَتَهُ فَهُوَ أَحَقُّ بِهَا وَ يَأْخُذُ سُرِّيَّتَهُ وَ وَلَدَهَا أَوْ يَأْخُذُ رِضًا مِنْ ثَمَنِهِ‌[2].

I asked Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) about a man whose family believed he had died or been killed, so his wife remarried, and his concubine also married and each bore a child from their respective husbands. Then the first husband and the master of the concubine returned. Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn A

فِي شَاهِدَيْنِ شَهِدَا عِنْدَ امْرَأَةٍ بِأَنَّ زَوْجَهَا طَلَّقَهَا فَتَزَوَّجَتْ ثُمَّ جَاءَ زَوْجُهَا قَالَ يُضْرَبَانِ الْحَدَّ وَ يُضَمَّنَانِ الصَّدَاقَ لِلزَّوْجِ ثُمَّ تَعْتَدُّ الزَّوْجَةُ وَ تَرْجِعُ إِلَى زَوْجِهَا الْأَوَّلِ‌[4].

Hadith.4887 - In a narration from Ibrahim ibn Abd al-Hamid, it is reported that Abu Abdullah (as) said regarding two witnesses who testified to a woman that her husband had divorced her, leading her to remarry, and then her husband returned. Imam (as) said: "The two witnesses shall be subjected to the prescribed punish

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ عَنِ اَلْمَرْأَةِ نُعِيَ إِلَيْهَا زَوْجُهَا فَاعْتَدَّتْ وَ تَزَوَّجَتْ فَجَاءَ زَوْجُهَا اَلْأَوَّلُ فَفَارَقَهَا وَ فَارَقَهَا اَلْآخَرُ كَمْ تَعْتَدُّ لِلنَّاسِ فَقَالَ "ثَلاَثَةَ قُرُوءٍ وَ إِنَّمَا يُسْتَبْرَأُ رَحِمُهَا بِثَلاَثَةِ قُرُوءٍ تُحِلُّهَا لِلنَّاسِ كُلِّهِمْ".

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a woman who was informed that her husband had passed away, so she observed her waiting period (iddah) and remarried. Then her first husband returned, leading both her first and second husbands to separate from her. I asked how long she should observe the waiting period for people (before