What is the ruling if a husband divorces one wife without specifying her, and he subsequently claims he intended a specific wife?
Chapter on Divorce by Calculation
Al-Mughni
Book of Divorce
Primary text
If the husband intended a specific wife, she alone is divorced because his intention specifies her, making it similar to if he had specified her through his utterance. If he claims, "I only intended so-and-so," his claim is accepted because it is plausible.
Supporting text
The evidence against the opinion that all wives are divorced is that the divorce was attributed to one person, meaning not all are divorced, just as if he had named her. The counter-argument that he retained the right to specify after enacting the divorce is invalid; his right to specify upon enactment does not necessitate that he retains that right afterward, similar to a wife divorced by name and then forgotten.