Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Hazrat Tawus (may Allah have mercy on him) says that there is no divorce before marriage. I asked Qasim bin Abdur Rahman about this, and he replied that this is nothing.

18782 - He said: And I asked Al-Qasim ibn Abd al-Rahman, and he said: It is (nothing) (1).

Hazrat Hasan bin Rawah Dabi, may Allah have mercy on him, says that I asked Hazrat Saeed bin Musayyib, Hazrat Mujahid, and Hazrat Ata, may Allah be pleased with them, that if a person says, "The day I marry such-and-such woman, she is divorced," what is the ruling regarding this? They replied that this is nothing. Hazrat Saeed, may Allah have mercy on him, explained with an example, saying: "Can a flood come before the rain?"

18784 - Sa'id said: Is there (a flood) before rain?

Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), in the explanation of the verse { یَا أَیُّہَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا إذَا نَکَحْتُمُ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ طَلَّقْتُمُوہُنَّ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَمَسُّوہُنَّ } of the Holy Quran, says that divorce cannot take place until there is a marriage.

Hazrat Muhammad bin Ka'b and Hazrat Nafi' bin Jubair d say that divorce only takes place after marriage.