A man who divorces his wife once, and one man meets him and asks "Did you divorce?" and he says "Yes", then another asks "Did you divorce?" and he says "Yes"

Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If a man gives his wife one divorce, then a man meets him and asks, "Have you divorced your wife?" and he answers, "Yes, I have," then another man meets him and asks the same question and he answers, "Yes, I have" - if in answering them he intended the first divorce, the divorce remains only one.

Ibn Ma'qil (may Allah have mercy on him) and al-Sha'bi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If a man gives his wife one divorce, then a man meets him and asks, "Have you divorced your wife?" and he answers, "Yes, I have," then another man meets him and asks the same question and he answers, "Yes, I have" - if in answering them he intended the first divorce, then the divorce remains only one.

Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said: A man gave his wife one divorce. On the way a man met him and asked, "Have you divorced your wife?" He said, "Yes." Then another man met him and asked the same question, and again he said, "Yes." The matter was brought before Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said: His intention is what counts.

Abd Rabbih (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I asked Jabir bin Zayd (may Allah have mercy on him): A man gave his wife one divorce, then gave her another, so they were two. Then a man met him and asked, "Have you divorced your wife?" He said, "Yes." What is the ruling? He said: If he only meant the divorce he had already given, nothing is binding on him.

Hammad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If a man said to his wife, "You are divorced," and his wife said, "What are you saying?" and he said, "You are divorced irrevocably (al-battah)," then if he said it again merely to make her understand, it will be only one divorce.

Shu'bah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I asked al-Hakam (may Allah have mercy on him) and Hammad (may Allah have mercy on him): If a man says to his wife, "You are divorced, you are divorced, you are divorced," what is the ruling? They said: Three divorces take effect, and if he intended one, it will be one; and if he said to his wife, "Count your waiting period ('iddah)," the ruling is the same.

Uqbah bin Abi al-Ayzar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I asked Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): If a man gave his wife one or two divorces, then a man asked him, "Did you give your wife so many divorces, that is, three or four?" and he said in reply, "Yes" - Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: That woman becomes irrevocably separated.