Does using husband's phone to ask about a forbidden person break the divorce condition?

Answer: No, this does not break the conditional talaq.

Your husband’s condition is about “not talking about that specific person or anything about him.” You are not talking to your husband about that person. Instead, you are using his phone (with his implied permission, as you are his wife) to privately ask questions to Islamic sources and then deleting the messages so he never sees them. This is not a violation of the condition.

• The condition only applies to communication between you and your husband concerning that person. Using his phone as a tool to seek knowledge – without him knowing or reading – does not constitute “talking about” the person in the way he intended.
• Your actions are driven by waswasa (OCD). Islamic scholars strongly advise ignoring waswasa and not letting it lead to unnecessary fear. The Prophet ﷺ said: “The Shaytan comes to one of you and says: ‘Who created this? Who created that?’ until he says: ‘Who created your Lord?’ So if anyone experiences that, let him seek refuge with Allah and stop such thoughts.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

Practical advice:

1. Do not overthink. You are not breaking the condition.
2. If possible, ask your questions directly from your own device to avoid any doubt.
3. Trust that your intention is to avoid violating the talaq, and Allah knows your heart.

References:

• Ibn Taymiyyah: “Conditions in divorce are binding only according to the literal meaning and intention of the one who made them.”
• Ibn al-Qayyim: “A conditional divorce does not occur unless the condition is fulfilled exactly as specified, without exaggeration or interpretation.”
• Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen: “If a man says, ‘If you talk to Zaid, you are divorced,’ and the wife talks to Zaid on the phone but the husband does not hear, the divorce occurs because the condition is fulfilled. However, if she writes to Zaid without speaking, some scholars differ; but in your case, you are not even communicating with the forbidden person – you are only researching.”

Bottom line: You are safe. Continue seeking knowledge, but try to reduce the frequency of questions caused by waswasa.