“What I tell you three times is true.”
Mtgman
February 14, 2011, 5:12pm
22
The “third time proves it” rule of thumb has been used in society for centuries. For example, check out the rules for divorce under Islamic law , emphasis mine.
A husband who wants to divorce his wife should use the words of divorce with full awareness after much thinking and consideration. Using the words of divorce in haste or anger is not right. The proper procedure is to give divorce when a woman is not pregnant and is not going through her monthly menstrual cycle. Divorce can take place by saying one time “I have divorced you” (talluqtuki) or “You are divorced” (anti taliq). After this the women should spend the time of her iddah. During the period of iddah the husband can cancel his divorce and can resume the matrimonial relationship, but if it does not happen then the divorce takes effect and at the end of the `iddah period their marriage ends. There is no need to repeat the words of divorce more than once. Even one divorce is sufficient to terminate the relationship.
The provision of the second and third divorce is given for a husband who divorces his wife one time and then cancels his divorce, but then after sometime changes his mind and divorces her again second time. Then he changes his mind and resumes the relationship and then again after that he divorces her. The Shariah says that now this relationship should end. Marriage is a serious matter. One cannot keep divorcing one's wife and returning her back. After the third divorce he cannot take her back. **The third divorce is called the "irrevocable divorce" (talaq mughallaz)**. The wife now becomes forbidden to her husband completely. She cannot go back to this husband who has divorced her three times, unless she marries another person who out of his own free will divorces her and then after the iddah she and her previous husband want to remarry. This is called halalah in the language of the Shari`ah. This rule is given by the Shari’ah to reduce the occurrence of three divorces and to protect the honor of the woman.
I’ve got an example from classical Greece tickling the back of my brain but I can’t bring it to mind right now. I’m pretty sure this concept that a third instance creates a pattern which can be used as a heuristic to judge future behavior was recognized in most ancient societies just as it is in ours.
Enjoy,
BMalion
February 16, 2011, 3:44pm
23
“Third time pays for all” as my gaffer used to say.