return to her husband, so she does not perform ghusl, saying, “Perhaps he will take me back.” If she is told, “It is unlawful for you to delay performing ghusl,” she says, “I will repent to Allah!”

It appears, then, that if she delays one of the obligatory prayers and does not perform ghusl, her waiting period expires and he no longer has the right to take her back. This is because the reports transmitted from the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—are based on what ordinarily occurs, and ordinarily a woman performs ghusl when the time for prayer comes. And Allah knows best.

If her waiting period ends before he takes her back, she becomes irrevocably separated from him and unlawful to him without a new marriage contract. Whoever divorces his wife fewer times than the number of divorces still at his disposal, then takes her back or remarries her, retains no more than the number remaining, whether another husband has consummated the marriage with her or not.

His statement, “If her waiting period ends before he takes her back, she becomes irrevocably separated,” means that if her waiting period ends and she performs ghusl before he takes her back, she becomes separated from him; however, this is a minor irrevocable separation.

His statement, “and she becomes unlawful,” is because she has become legally a stranger to him.

His statement, “without a new marriage contract,” applies if this was not the final divorce. If it was the final divorce, she is not lawful to him unless she has married another husband.

His statement, “Whoever divorces his wife fewer times than the number of divorces still at his disposal, then takes her back or remarries her, retains no more than the number remaining, whether another husband has consummated the marriage with her or not,” means that a free man has three divorces at his disposal, while a slave has two. Thus, if he divorces her once and then takes her back, or if her waiting period ends and he then remarries her, or if her waiting period ends and another man marries her and then divorces her, after which she returns to the first husband, he retains no more than the number remaining. In the example mentioned, he retains two divorces.

If he divorces her twice and then takes her back, or if her waiting period ends and he then remarries her, or if her waiting period ends and another husband marries her and then separates from her, after which the first husband marries her,