طلاق
Ṭalāq
The Quran allows divorce, with a waiting period, reconciliation, witnesses, and provision for the wife.
What it means
A divorced woman waits three cycles before remarrying (2:228). A husband may take her back within that time (2:229–231), and the Quran says: “retain them honourably or release them honourably” and tells the husband not to hold his wife “to harm her” (2:231). Two witnesses are called for (65:2). A woman may also seek release (khulʿ), as in a report in Sahih al-Bukhari where Thabit ibn Qays’s wife was granted it on returning his garden.
Often misunderstood as
That a Muslim man may divorce at will and the woman has no recourse.
What the sources say
The Prophet is reported to have said that of lawful things, divorce is the most hated to God (Abu Dawud, a report some scholars grade weak). Schools differ on the “triple divorce” in one sitting and on the wife’s right to a judicial dissolution. Many modern family laws require a court or waiting period.