📜 Akad nikah · #33
Does a mother-in-law remain mahram after divorcing one's wife?
Yes. A mother-in-law becomes mahram for ever as soon as there is a valid marriage contract with her daughter, even before consummation and even if there is a divorce or the wife dies.
Allah mentions "your wives' mothers" in the list of women forbidden without condition (4:23). Likewise, a father-in-law remains mahram to his daughter-in-law, and a stepmother is permanently mahram (4:22). So a son-in-law may shake hands with his mother-in-law and it does not break wudu according to the Shafi'i school. By contrast, a stepdaughter (the wife's daughter) only becomes mahram if the husband has consummated the marriage with her mother; if they divorce before consummation, the stepdaughter may be married. See Mahram.
Allah mentions "your wives' mothers" in the list of women forbidden without condition (4:23). Likewise, a father-in-law remains mahram to his daughter-in-law, and a stepmother is permanently mahram (4:22). So a son-in-law may shake hands with his mother-in-law and it does not break wudu according to the Shafi'i school. By contrast, a stepdaughter (the wife's daughter) only becomes mahram if the husband has consummated the marriage with her mother; if they divorce before consummation, the stepdaughter may be married. See Mahram.
Sources
Surah an-Nisa' 4:23Surah an-Nisa' 4:22Surah an-Nur 24:31