What is the ruling when a husband says to his wife, 'You are divorced at the beginning of the last half of the month'?
Chapter on Explicit Divorce and Others
Al-Mughni
Book of Divorce
Primary text
If a husband states, 'You are divorced at the beginning of the last half of the month' (في أول آخره), the divorce takes effect at the beginning of the last day of the month, because that day constitutes the end of the month. The majority opinion, which is deemed sounder, dictates that the ruling follows the direct implication of the words, and the pronouncement is not to be interpreted as referring to the middle portion of the month.
Supporting text
Abu Bakr stated that the divorce takes effect upon the entry of the first night of the sixteenth day of the month, arguing that the month is composed of two halves, a first half and a last half, and the end of the first half is adjacent to the beginning of the last half.