Sunnah divorce: what it is and when one should divorce

Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, in explanation of the verse {divorce them for their 'iddah} [al-Talaq: 1], that she is to be divorced while she is pure and without intercourse.

Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that when a man intends to divorce his wife, he should divorce her while she is pure and he has not had intercourse with her in that purity.

Humayd bin Abd al-Rahman al-Himyari (may Allah have mercy on him) said that news reached Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was displeased with the people. Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned it, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: One of you says, 'I have married!' 'I have divorced!' This is not the way of the Muslims. Divorce the woman at the beginning of her 'iddah. (So that counting the 'iddah is easy for her.)

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said, in explanation of the verse of the Qur'an {divorce them for their 'iddah} [al-Talaq: 1], that the woman is to be divorced at the beginning of her 'iddah. (So that counting the 'iddah is easy for her.)

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said that if people hit upon the proper limit of divorce, no man would regret divorcing his wife while she is pregnant, her pregnancy having become evident, or divorcing her in a purity in which he has not had intercourse with her. He should wait and divorce her at the beginning of her 'iddah; then if he wishes to take her back, he takes her back, and if he wishes to let her go, he lets her go.

Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) and Ibn Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) said that the Sunnah divorce is to divorce at the beginning of the 'iddah: he divorces her while she is pure and without having had intercourse with her; and if she is pregnant, he may divorce her whenever he wishes.

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) once divorced his wife while she was menstruating. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned this to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: Tell him to take her back; then let the woman become pure, then menstruate, then when she becomes pure, if he wishes he may divorce her before having intercourse, and if he wishes he may keep her, for that is the 'iddah which Allah has described.

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) once divorced his wife while she was menstruating. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned this to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: Tell him to take her back, and then, after she becomes pure, to divorce her before having intercourse.

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) once divorced his wife while she was menstruating. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned this to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: Tell him to take her back, and then divorce her while she is pure or while she is pregnant.

Tawus (may Allah have mercy on him) said that if he divorces her in a purity in which he had intercourse with her, that menstruation will not be counted.

Al-Sha'bi (may Allah have mercy on him) said that when he divorces her while she is pure, consider that he has given a Sunnah divorce, even if he had intercourse with her.

Ikrimah (may Allah have mercy on him) and Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) said that the meaning of the verse of the Qur'an {divorce them for their 'iddah} [al-Talaq: 1] is that he should divorce her while she is pure, without intercourse.

Muhammad (Ibn Sirin) (may Allah have mercy on him) said that the meaning of the verse of the Qur'an {divorce them for their 'iddah} [al-Talaq: 1] is that he should divorce her while she is pure or while she is pregnant.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said that one who gives the Sunnah divorce never regrets it.

Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Sunnah divorce is at the beginning of the purity, without intercourse.