Divorced women shall wait concerning themselves for three monthly periods. Nor is it lawful for them to hide what Allah hath created in their wombs. This means that if a man divorced his wife he had the right to take her back in marriage though he had divorced her by three pronouncements. This was then repealed (by a Qur'anic verse). Divorce is only permissible twice.  

{ وَالْمُطَلَّقَاتُ يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنْفُسِهِنَّ ثَلاَثَةَ قُرُوءٍ وَلاَ يَحِلُّ لَهُنَّ أَنْ يَكْتُمْنَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ فِي أَرْحَامِهِنَّ } الآيَةَ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الرَّجُلَ كَانَ إِذَا طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ فَهُوَ أَحَقُّ بِرَجْعَتِهَا وَإِنْ طَلَّقَهَا ثَلاَثًا فَنُسِخَ ذَلِكَ وَقَالَ { الطَّلاَقُ مَرَّتَانِ }  

Abd Yazid, the father of Rukanah and his brothers, divorced Umm Rukanah and married a woman of the tribe of Muzaynah. She went to the Prophet ﷺ and said: He is of no use to me except that he is as useful to me as a hair; and she took a hair from her head. So separate me from him. The Prophet ﷺ became furious. He called on Rukanah and his brothers. He then said to those who were sitting beside him. Do you see so-and-so who resembles Abdu Yazid in respect of so-and-so; and so-and-so who resembles him in respect of so-and-so? They replied: Yes. The Prophet ﷺ said to Abdu Yazid: Divorce her. Then he did so. He said: Take your wife, the mother of Rukanah and his brothers, back in marriage. He said: I have divorced her by three pronouncements, Messenger of Allah. He said: I know: take her back. He then recited the verse: "O Prophet, when you divorce women, divorce them at their appointed periods." Abu Dawud said: The tradition narrated by Nafi' b. 'Ujair and 'Abd Allah b. Yazid b. Rukanah from his father on the authority of his grandfather reads: Rukanah divorced his wife absolutely (i.e. irrevocable divorce). The Prophet ﷺ restored her to him. This version is sounder (than other versions), for they (i.e. these narrators) are the children of his man, and the members of the family are more aware of his case. Rukanah divorced his wife absolutely (i.e. three divorces in one pronouncement) and the Prophet ﷺ made it a single divorce.  

أَخْبَرَنِي بَعْضُ بَنِي أَبِي رَافِعٍ مَوْلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ مَوْلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ طَلَّقَ عَبْدُ يَزِيدَ أَبُو رُكَانَةَ وَإِخْوَتِهِ أُمَّ رُكَانَةَ وَنَكَحَ امْرَأَةً مِنْ مُزَيْنَةَ فَجَاءَتِ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَتْ مَا يُغْنِي عَنِّي إِلاَّ كَمَا تُغْنِي هَذِهِ الشَّعْرَةُ لِشَعْرَةٍ أَخَذَتْهَا مِنْ رَأْسِهَا فَفَرِّقْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ فَأَخَذَتِ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ حَمِيَّةٌ فَدَعَا بِرُكَانَةَ وَإِخْوَتِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِجُلَسَائِهِ أَتَرَوْنَ فُلاَنًا يُشْبِهُ مِنْهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا مِنْ عَبْدِ يَزِيدَ وَفُلاَنًا يُشْبِهُ مِنْهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا قَالُوا نَعَمْ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لِعَبْدِ يَزِيدَ طَلِّقْهَا فَفَعَلَ ثُمَّ قَالَ رَاجِعِ امْرَأَتَكَ أُمَّ رُكَانَةَ وَإِخْوَتِهِ فَقَالَ إِنِّي طَلَّقْتُهَا ثَلاَثًا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ قَدْ عَلِمْتُ رَاجِعْهَا وَتَلاَ { يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَطَلِّقُوهُنَّ لِعِدَّتِهِنَّ }  

Mujahid said “I was with Ibn ‘Abbas”. A man came to him and said that he divorced his wife by three pronouncements. I kept silence and thought that he was going to restore het to him. He then said “A man goes and commits a foolish act and then says “O, Ibn ‘Abbas! Alaah has said “And for those who fear Allaah, He (ever) prepares a way out.” Since you did not keep duty to Allaah I do not find a way out for you. You disobeyed your Lord and your wife was separated from you. Allaah has said “O Prophet! When you divorce women divorce them in the beginning of their waiting period.” Abu Dawud said “This tradition has been transmitted by Humaid Al A’raj and by others from Mujahid on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas. Shu’bjh narrated it from ‘Amr bin Murrah from Sa’id bin Jubair on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas. Ayyub and Ibn ‘Jubair both narrated it from “’Ikrimah bin Khalid from Sa’id bin Jubair on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas. Ibn Juraij narrated it from ‘Abd Al Hamid bin Rafi’ from ‘Ata from Ibn ‘Abbas. Al A’mash narrated it from Malik bin Al Harith on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas. They all said about the divorce by three pronouncements. He allowed it and said” (Your wife) has been separated from you similar to the tradition narrated by Isma’il from Ayub from ‘Abd Allaah bin Kathir.” Abu Dawud said “Hammad bin Zaid narrated it from Ayyub from ‘Ikrimah on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas. This version adds If he said “You are divorced three times saying in one pronouncement, it constitutes a single (divorce). Isma’il bin Ibrahim narrated it from Ayyub from ‘Ikrimah. This is his (‘Ikrimah’s) statement. He did not mention the name of Ibn ‘Abbas. He narrated it as a statement of ‘Ikrimah.”  

{ وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا } وَإِنَّكَ لَمْ تَتَّقِ اللَّهَ فَلَمْ أَجِدْ لَكَ مَخْرَجًا عَصَيْتَ رَبَّكَ وَبَانَتْ مِنْكَ امْرَأَتُكَ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ قَالَ { يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَطَلِّقُوهُنَّ } فِي قُبُلِ عِدَّتِهِنَّ  

Abu Dawud said “The opinion of Ibn ‘Abbas has been mentioned in the following tradition. “Ahmad bin Salih and Muhammad bin Yahya narrated this is the version of Ahmad (bin Salih)” from ‘Abd Ar Razzaq from Ma’mar from Al Zuhri from Abu Salamah din Abd Al Rahman bin ‘Awf and Muhammad bin ‘Abd Al Rahman bin Thawban from Muhammad bin Iyas that Ibn ‘Abbas, Abu Hurairah and ‘Abd Alah bin ‘Amr bin Al ‘As were asked about a virgin who is divorced three times by her husband. They all said “She is not lawful for him until she marries a man other than her former husband.” Abu Dawud said “Malik narrated from Yahya bin Sa’id from Bukair bin Al Ashajj from Mu’awiyah bin Abi ‘Ayyash who was present on this occasion when Muhammad bin Iyas bin Al Bukair came to Ibn Al Zubair and Asim in ‘Umar. He asked them about this matter. They replied “Go to Ibn ‘Abbas and Abu Hurairah, I have left them with A’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her). He then narrated the rest of the tradition.” Abu Dawud said “The statement of Ibn ‘Abbas goes “The divorce by three pronouncements separates the wife from husband whether the marriage has been consummated or not, the previous husband is not lawful for her until she marries a man other than her husband”. This statement is like the tradition which deals with the exchange of money. In this tradition the narrator said “Ibn ‘Abbas withdrew his opinion.”"  

عَنِ الْبِكْرِ يُطَلِّقُهَا زَوْجُهَا ثَلاَثًا فَكُلُّهُمْ قَالُوا لاَ تَحِلُّ لَهُ حَتَّى تَنْكِحَ زَوْجًا غَيْرَهُ  

Tawus said A man called Abu Al Sahba used to ask Ibn ‘Abbas questions frequently. He asked “Do you know that when a man divorced his wife by three pronouncement before sexual intercourse with her, they (the people) made it a single divorce during the time of the Apostle of Allaah ﷺ, of Abu Bakr and in the early phase of the caliphate of ‘Umar?” Ibn “Abbas said “Yes, when a man divorced his wife by three pronouncement before sexual intercourse they made it a single divorce during the time of the Apostle of Allaah ﷺ, of Abu Bakr and in the early phase of the caliphate of ‘Umar. When he saw that the people frequently divorced (by three pronouncements) he said “Make them operative on them (i.e., on women)”.  

يُقَالُ لَهُ أَبُو الصَّهْبَاءِ كَانَ كَثِيرَ السُّؤَالِ لاِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ الرَّجُلَ كَانَ إِذَا طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ ثَلاَثًا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ بِهَا جَعَلُوهَا وَاحِدَةً عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَصَدْرًا مِنْ إِمَارَةِ عُمَرَ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ بَلَى كَانَ الرَّجُلُ إِذَا طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ ثَلاَثًا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ بِهَا جَعَلُوهَا وَاحِدَةً عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَصَدْرًا مِنْ إِمَارَةِ عُمَرَ فَلَمَّا رَأَى النَّاسَ قَدْ تَتَابَعُوا فِيهَا قَالَ أَجِيزُوهُنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ  

Abu al-Sahba' said to Ibn Abbas: Do you know that a divorce by three pronouncements was made a single one during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, and of AbuBakr and in the early days of the caliphate of Umar? He replied: Yes.  

لاِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَتَعْلَمُ إِنَّمَا كَانَتِ الثَّلاَثُ تُجْعَلُ وَاحِدَةً عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَثَلاَثًا مِنْ إِمَارَةِ عُمَرَ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ نَعَمْ