of Judgment. Whoever fears Allah, He will make a way out for him.”
“And He will provide for him from where he does not expect. Whoever puts his trust in Allah, He is sufficient for him. Allah will surely accomplish His purpose. Allah has appointed a measure for everything.”
The authentic hadith collection, along with the Sunan and Musnad collections, reports from ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar:
“He divorced his wife while she was menstruating. ʿUmar mentioned this to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Prophet became angry with him. He said: ‘Tell him to take her back until she menstruates and then becomes pure. Thereafter, if he wishes, he may keep her, and if he wishes, he may divorce her before having intercourse with her. That is the waiting period for which Allah has commanded that women be divorced.’”
Another narration in the authentic collection states:
“He instructed him to divorce her when she was free from menstruation or pregnant.”
Another narration in the authentic collection states:
“The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, recited: ‘When you divorce women, divorce them at the proper time for their waiting period.’”
It is reported from Ibn ʿAbbās and other Companions:
“Divorce takes four forms: two are lawful and two are unlawful. The two lawful forms are to divorce one’s wife during a period of purity in which no intercourse has occurred, or to divorce her while she is pregnant and her pregnancy has become evident. The two unlawful forms are to divorce her while she is menstruating, or to divorce her after intercourse without knowing whether her womb contains a child.”
This was reported by al-Dāraqutnī and others.
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, made clear that a man may not divorce his wife unless she has become pure after menstruation and before he has intercourse with her. This is divorce timed for the waiting period—that is, for its commencement—for that is the period of purity or the waiting period. If he divorces her before the waiting period, he has divorced her before the time Allah has permitted, prolonged her waiting, and divorced her without having any need for