Divorce is the most hated permissible thing in the sight of Allah. It dissolves families and deprives children the family atmosphere. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The most hateful permissible thing (Al-Halal) in the sight of Allah is divorce.” (Reported by Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah).
The spouses should avoid divorce as much as possible. If they have difficulties and problems they should be patient and forbearing. They have to try to work out their differences and seek help from their relatives, friends or professional counselors.
Moreover, it should be clear that Islam never takes marriage and divorce lightly. The words of divorce are serious and one should say them with the full understanding of the consequences. It is important for a husband to resist the temptation of using words of divorce jestingly or for threatening. It serves no beneficial purpose. The Qur’an warns the faithful, “Never take the signs of Allah for a plaything.” (Al-Baqarah: 231)
Dr. Rif`at Fawzi, former professor of Shari`ah at Cairo Univ. , states: “It depends on the husband’s intention when pronouncing those words. If the issue is that at the time of making that statement the husband had no knowledge that this can imply divorce and his thinking was that he will divorce her soon, then it is not counted as divorce.