Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said, concerning the saying of Allah Almighty "Then divorce them for their waiting period" [Surah al-Talaq: 1]: "Divorce is to be given in (a state of) purity in which there has been no intercourse."
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الكبير للطبراني / باب العين / 10427