The Feasibility of Marriage Annulment Due to Wife's Adultery from the viewpoint of Imamiyah Jurisprudence

The marriage contract is one of the necessary contracts and therefore, its annulment requires a special reason. In the Imamiyah jurisprudence, special and limited instruments have been mentioned for the annulment of the marriage contract - because of its importance and impact on society. One of the cases that the husband can claim to annul the marriage is the wife's adultery - before or after marriage. In this regard, the present study - using library method and documentary study - is devoted to examining the feasibility of annulment of marriage due to adultery. The results and findings of this study show that, according to most of late jurists, if a man commits adultery before marriage, a man has no right to annul; however, some jurists believe that a man has the right of annulment in this respect, based on the principle of "no harm" and some narratives. From the author's point of view, it is incorrect to refer to the principle of "no harm" with regard to its unproven language. Of course, according to the valid statement of Abdul Rahman and Sahiheh Halabi, if the wife commits adultery before marriage and conceals it while concluding the (marriage) contract, the husband has the right to annul. The contradictory narratives of these two hadiths also relate to not being Makruh or permissible for annulment in order to use the right to annul, but based on Ibn Janid Baghdadi's view, if the wife commits adultery after marriage, the husband can terminate the marriage. Of course, from the author's point of view, the reasons presented to prove this theory are incorrect and the husband does not have the right to terminate the marriage due to consensus, publicity, and Istishab for necessity of the contract.