On His saying: "Divorce is twice, then keep in a fair manner or release with kindness"

Abu Razin (may Allah have mercy on him) said: A man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: In the verse of the Qur'an "Divorce is twice; then either retain [her] in kindness or release [her] with goodness" [Al-Baqarah: 229], two divorces are mentioned; where is the third divorce? He said: "Retaining with kindness or releasing with goodness: that is the third divorce."

Urwah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: In the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), a man said to his wife: I will neither come near you nor will you ever be free of my marriage. The woman said: How will you do that? The man said: I will divorce you, and when the end of your waiting period ('iddah) draws near, I will take you back. The woman, distressed, came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and on that occasion the verse of the Qur'an "Then either retain [her] in kindness or release [her] with goodness" [Al-Baqarah: 229] was revealed. Then the people started counting divorce afresh, both those who had divorced and those who had not.

(Continuation of the previous report:) So the people started it afresh, both those who had divorced and those who had not.

Ikrimah (may Allah have mercy on him), explaining the verse of the Qur'an "Divorce is twice; then either retain [her] in kindness or release [her] with goodness" [Al-Baqarah: 229], said: When a man wants to divorce his wife, let him give her two divorces; then if he wants to take her back, he may do so. And if he wishes, he may give her one more divorce; after this third divorce, that woman is not lawful for this husband until she marries another man.

Ikrimah (may Allah have mercy on him), explaining the verse of the Qur'an "Divorce is twice; then either retain [her] in kindness or release [her] with goodness" [Al-Baqarah: 229], said: When a man gives his wife one divorce, he may, if he wishes, restore the marriage with her. And when he gives her two divorces, he may, if he wishes, marry her. And when he gives her the third divorce, she is no longer lawful for him until she marries another man.

Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him), explaining the verse of the Qur'an "Divorce is twice; then either retain [her] in kindness or release [her] with goodness" [Al-Baqarah: 229], said: A man should divorce his wife in a state of purity in which he has not had intercourse with her. Then, when she menstruates and then becomes pure, one menstrual cycle (qur') is complete. Then he gives her the second divorce in the same way as he gave the first, if he wants to do so. Then, when he has given the second divorce and she has her second menstruation, these are two divorces and two cycles. Then Allah Almighty says regarding the third divorce: "Then either retain [her] in kindness or release [her] with goodness." So, if he wishes, he may divorce her at any point in that whole cycle, at the time when she gathers her clothes about her.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), explaining the verse of the Qur'an "Divorce is twice; then either retain [her] in kindness or release [her] with goodness" [Al-Baqarah: 229], said: It is a separation and an annulment, not a divorce. Allah Almighty has mentioned divorce at the beginning and at the end of the verse, and between the two He has mentioned khul', which is not a divorce. Allah Almighty says: "Divorce is twice; then either retain [her] in kindness or release [her] with goodness" [Al-Baqarah: 229].

Ikrimah (may Allah have mercy on him), explaining the verse of the Qur'an "Perhaps Allah will bring about a new matter after that" [Al-Talaq: 1], said: What new matter can arise after three [divorces]?

Al-Dahhak (may Allah have mercy on him), explaining the verse of the Qur'an "Perhaps Allah will bring about a new matter after that" [Al-Talaq: 1], said: It means that perhaps he will take her back during the waiting period ('iddah).

Al-Sha'bi (may Allah have mercy on him), explaining the verse of the Qur'an "You do not know; perhaps Allah will bring about a new matter after that" [Al-Talaq: 1], said: It means that you do not know; perhaps later you will regret it and a way to take her back will open for you.