What is the ruling for stating, 'You are divorced five times, except for one divorce'?
Chapter on Explicit Divorce and Others
Al-Mughni
Book of Divorce
Primary text
There are two views for the statement, 'You are divorced five times, except for one divorce.' The first view holds that three divorces occur because the utterance, with the exception, is equivalent to stating only what remains after the exception, thus being as if he said, 'You are divorced four times.' The second view holds that two divorces occur.
Supporting text
The second view, narrated by Al-Qadi, posits that the exception refers to the three divorces he legally possesses, rendering the excess void. Since one divorce is excepted from those three, the exception is valid, resulting in two divorces.