Consider three invented instructions: “Close the door and turn off the light”; “Close the door then immediately leave”; and “Close it, then after a delay return.” They illustrate the fundamental contrasts among wāw, fāʾ, and thumma.
Wāw principally coordinates; its bare presence need not establish order. Fāʾ indicates sequence or immediate follow-on, while thumma includes ordered succession with delay.
In legally operative statements these distinctions may have consequences, including in divorce cases. A real case cannot be decided by the English gloss alone without context and relevant legal qualifications.