Halala: A Practice Invented by Sexual Perverts

The practice of Halala—forcing a divorced woman to marry and consummate marriage with another man before returning to her former husband—has become one of the most shameful distortions of Islamic family law. It reduces women to commodities, legitimizes sexual exploitation, and is wrongly presented as “divine law.” Neither the Qur’an nor the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ sanctioned this practice. Instead, it is rooted in patriarchal juristic manipulation and cultural corruption.

Qur’anic Framework on Divorce

Allah ﷻ sets clear principles in the Qur’an regarding divorce:

“Divorce is twice; then, either acceptably retain her or release her with good treatment. And if he divorces her [a third time], then she is not lawful to him afterward until she marries another husband. And if the latter husband divorces her, there is no blame upon the woman and her former husband for returning to one another if they think that they can uphold the limits of Allah. These are the limits of Allah, which He makes clear for a people who know.” al-Baqarah 2:229–230

The Qur’an permits remarriage only if the woman enters a genuine and voluntary marriage with someone else, and that marriage ends naturally. It does not permit staged or temporary arrangements.

Prophetic Condemnation of Halala

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ issued one of the strongest condemnations regarding Halala:

“Allah has cursed the one who marries a woman with the intention of making her permissible for her first husband (al-muhallil) and the one for whom it is done (al-muhallal lahu).” Sunan Abi Dawud 2076; Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1120; Ibn Majah 1936)

This Hadith clearly establishes that contrived Halala is a cursed act—not just “undesirable” but directly condemned.

Views of Classical Jurists

• Imam Abu Hanifa (d. 767 CE): Declared such marriages sinful if done with Halala intention, though technically binding.

• Imam Malik (d. 795 CE): Saw intentional Halala as invalid, since sincerity is a condition of marriage.

• Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 855 CE): Strongly opposed contrived Halala and considered it a sin.

• Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 1328 CE): Explicitly stated Halala marriages with prior agreement are invalid and akin to zina (fornication).

• Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 1350 CE): Called Halala “mockery of Allah’s laws.”

• Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah (Egypt): Declares Halala marriages sinful, against maqasid al-shari‘ah.

• Indian Ulama Council: Condemns clerics exploiting women through Halala.

• Saudi Scholars (Ibn Baz, Al-Albani): Ruled Halala to be haram, cursed, and invalid.

• Contemporary Reformists: Stress that Halala persists because of misuse of triple talaq, which itself contradicts the Qur’anic method of gradual, thoughtful divorce.

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The Human Cost of Halala

Women are humiliated, reduced to objects, and punished for men’s impulsiveness. The Qur’an rejects such injustice:

“No bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another.” Surah al-An‘am 6:164)

🔑 Key Point: Forcing a woman to suffer for her husband’s rash divorce violates this fundamental Qur’anic principle.

A Call for Reform

• Return to Qur’anic spirit: Marriage is meant as مَوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً (“love and mercy”) (Qur’an 30:21).

• Outlaw forced Halala: States must treat it as sexual exploitation.

• Educate Muslim communities: Halala is not Shariah but a male-chauvinist distortion.

• Support women: Financial independence, therapy, and legal protections are essential.

Halala is not Islam. It is a perversion condemned by the Prophet ﷺ, rejected by the Qur’an, opposed by jurists, and denounced by fatwa councils. Women are not pawns in men’s egos, nor instruments for clerical exploitation.

To uphold Halala is to uphold patriarchy against God’s mercy. To abolish Halala is to restore the justice, compassion, and dignity that Islam demands.