In traditional Islamic law, طلاق(talâq) refers specifically to the man's divorce of his wife (a male prerogative), while more complicated female-initiated types of divorces are خلع(xol') and فسخ(fasx). Therefore, the active compound verbs طلاق دادن(talâq dâdan) and طلاق گفتن(talâq goftan) referred specifically to the man "giving" or "saying" the طلاق(talâq) divorce to his wife, while the passive verb طلاق گرفتن(talâq gereftan) refers to the woman "receiving" the طلاق(talâq) divorce. These verbs would not have been used for female-initiated types of divorces, since they were not considered to be طلاق(talâq).
In modern Iran, طلاق(talâq) means "divorce" in general, and the verb طلاق گرفتن(talâq gereftan) can now be used for both men and women. However, طلاق دادن(talâq dâdan) and طلاق گفتن(talâq goftan) still refer specifically to the men divorcing his wife.
