Nasai

(1) A woman’s seeking divorce from her husband is called khul‘. In such a case, if the husband wishes, he may demand the return of the dower (mahr) or other gifts he had given to his wife; however, he cannot take anything more than this from the woman’s personal property. After reconciliation, the husband will pronounce divorce, after which reconciliation (ruju‘) will not be possible; however, if both wish, they may remarry after the waiting period (‘iddah).

(2) Although the outward form of khul‘ resembles divorce (talaq) in that the husband pronounces divorce at the wife’s request, in reality, khul‘ is an annulment (fasakh) of the marriage. Therefore, its waiting period (‘iddah) is not three menstrual cycles, but one menstrual cycle. The purpose of this is istibra’ al-rahim, i.e., to ascertain whether the woman is pregnant or not. If menstruation occurs, it means she is not pregnant, and thus she may remarry. If menstruation does not occur, it means she is pregnant. In this case, she cannot remarry until the child is born. See: (Hadith: 3527, 3528). According to the Hanafis, khul‘ is considered a divorce (talaq), so its waiting period is three menstrual cycles, but this position is not correct.