What is the ruling if a speaker says only 'Bihashtam'?
Chapter on Explicit Divorce and Others
Al-Mughni
Book of Divorce
Primary text
If the speaker says only 'Bihashtam' (which means 'I have set you free'), only one divorce occurs, unless the speaker intended three divorces, in which case it becomes three. Ahmad explicitly stated this in the narration by Ibn Mansur. The correct view is that the divorce count corresponds to the speaker's intention because its meaning is 'I have set you free' (khallaytuki), which takes the intended number, whether few or many. It only becomes explicit due to its common usage for divorce, not because its inherent meaning excludes the possibility of variation based on intent.
Supporting text
Al-Qadi held that there are two possible narrations regarding this utterance, based on the comparison to the statement 'You are divorced' (anti taluq), since both are explicit utterances, making them equal in effect.