What is the ruling when a man divorces one of his wives without specifying which one?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Waiting Periods ('Iddah)
Primary text
When a man divorces one of his wives without specifying her by name, she is determined by lot (lottery/drawing of lots). The prescribed waiting period (Iddah) applies only to the chosen wife, and its commencement is from the moment of pronouncement of the divorce, not from the moment of drawing lots. This ruling is held by some of the companions of our school of thought (As'habuna).
Supporting text
A stronger opinion holds that all wives become forbidden to him (in a revocable manner). If he dies, all wives must observe the longer of two periods: the Iddah of divorce or the Iddah of widowhood, counting from the time of divorce or death respectively. This application of the longer period is analogous to the case of one who forgets a prayer from a specific day, requiring him to pray five times. If he subsequently divorces all of them three times, they must all complete the Iddah of divorce starting from the initial divorce. If he divorces three without specifying them, the ruling is the same as divorcing one.