929 – Ibn ʿUmar divorced his wife while she was menstruating during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. ʿUmar asked the Messenger of Allah about it, and he replied: “Tell him to take her back, then keep her until she becomes pure, then she menstruates, then she becomes pure again. After that, if he wishes he may retain her, and if he wishes he may divorce her before he has sexual relations with her. That is the waiting period which Allah has commanded that women be divorced for.” Agreed upon.
In another narration reported by Muslim: “Tell him to take her back, then let him divorce her while she is pure, or pregnant.”
A further narration in al-Bukhārī states: “It was counted as a single divorce.”
Another report in Muslim has Ibn ʿUmar saying: “If you pronounced one or two divorces, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered me to take her back, then leave her until she menstruates again, then leave her until she becomes pure, and then divorce her before I touch her. But you have pronounced three divorces, so you have disobeyed your Lord in what He commanded you concerning the divorce of your wife.”
Yet another narration reports ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar as saying: “He returned her to me and did not count the divorce as anything, and he said: ‘When she becomes pure, let him divorce her, or let him keep her.’” ⦗1⦘
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Glossary of the ḥadīth:
– “He divorced his wife”: Her name was Āminah bint Ghifār; some said her name was an-Nawwār, and it is likely that the first was her given name,