The parties were married on 7 August 2003 and had no children. In January 2004, however, the defendant left the matrimonial home for no apparent reason and without saying anything. For the next seven years the defendant never returned or provided the plaintiff with any financial support. The plaintiff emphasised in court that the defendant's conduct over the past seven years meant any hope of reconciliation was untenable.
Despite the defendant's absence from court, the court, pursuant to art 39(2) of Law No. 1 of 1974 on Marriage, and art 116(g) of the Compilation of Islamic Laws, granted the applicant an irrevocable divorce for a fee (talak satu khul'i) on the grounds that the defendant had contravened his marriage vows (janji ta'lik talak).