943 – On the authority of Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both): “When he divorced his wife, the Prophet ﷺ said to ʿUmar, ‘Instruct him to take her back.’” Agreed upon. (1)

What is derived from the two reports:

1. Both hadiths establish the basic legality of restoring a divorced wife to the marital bond through a valid revocation (rujuʿ).
2. Revocation is only valid in a revocable divorce (ṭalāq rajʿī); it is not valid after an irrevocable divorce, whether major or minor (baynūna kubrá or sughrá). This was explained earlier in the Introduction.
3. The wife’s consent is not a prerequisite for revocation, since it is not mentioned here and because Allah says, “And their husbands have the better right to take them back during that period” (al-Baqara 2:228), i.e., during the waiting period (ʿiddah).
4. Revocation is an exclusive right of the husband, just like divorce; the wife and others have no standing in it.
5. It is recommended to summon witnesses for a divorce to ensure proper documentation. The scholars unanimously agree that a divorce is valid and effective even without witnesses.
6. Witnesses are likewise prescribed for revocation, though the scholars differ over whether this is obligatory. The three Imams hold that it is recommended but not a condition. Imam al-Shafiʿi considered it a condition, as did one narration from Ahmad. ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn may also have deemed it obligatory, for he said, “Let him now bring witnesses and seek Allah’s forgiveness.”
7. Allah’s statement: “And their husbands have the better right to take them back in that [period] if they desire reconciliation” (al-Baqara 2:228):