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A Malaysian man sparked widespread outrage online after allegedly divorcing his wife by pronouncing talak tiga (irrevocable divorce) over the outcome of a football match bet
The incident went viral after Threads user @Raudhah.24 shared a post claiming that a woman was left distraught after her husband vowed to divorce her if Argentina lost to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
Following Argentina's 1-0 defeat, the husband reportedly went through with the divorce, with many criticising his decision to end the marriage over the result of a football match.
Addressing the viral post, former Federal Territories mufti Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri advised the couple to immediately seek confirmation from the Syariah Court or relevant religious authorities
Explaining the matter on Threads, Zulkifli noted that the majority view among major Islamic jurisprudence schools holds that a conditional divorce takes effect once the specified condition is fulfilled.
"Based on the majority view, when someone utters, 'If Argentina loses, my wife is divorced by talak tiga', and that condition occurs, then the talak takes effect according to the majority of scholars," he stated.
Zulkifli reminded Muslims to guard their words, warning that a remark made in jest could have serious consequences
He cited a hadith stating that three matters are considered serious whether done in earnest or in jest: marriage, divorce, and reconciliation (rujuk).
"Therefore, a believer should always guard their tongue. Prophet Muhammad SAW said, 'Three matters are considered serious in earnestness and serious in jest: marriage, divorce, and rujuk,'" he said, according to Berita Harian.
