there is no known disagreement concerning its prohibition. It is an innovated form of divorce. Divorce in accordance with the Sunnah, by contrast, is to divorce her during a period of purity in which he has not had intercourse with her, or while she is visibly pregnant. If he divorces her during menstruation, or after having intercourse with her and before her pregnancy becomes apparent to him, this is an innovated form of divorce. As Allah Most High says:

“O Prophet, when you divorce women, divorce them at the proper time for their waiting period, and keep count of the waiting period.”

The Sahīh, Sunan, and Musnad collections report that Ibn ʿUmar divorced his wife while she was menstruating. ʿUmar mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said:

“Tell him to take her back until she menstruates, then becomes pure, then menstruates, then becomes pure. Then, 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 in which Allah has commanded that women be divorced.”

As for pronouncing all three divorces together, there are two views. The first is that this too is forbidden, according to most scholars among the Companions, their successors, and those who came after them. This is the position of Mālik and Abū Hanīfah, and one of the two positions reported from Ahmad, which most of his followers adopted. Ahmad said: “I reflected on the Quran and found that every divorce mentioned in it is revocable”—meaning the divorce of a wife with whom the marriage has been consummated—“except in His words:

‘If he divorces her, she is not lawful for him thereafter until she marries another husband.’”

According to this view, may he pronounce the second and third divorces before taking her back, by spreading the divorces over three periods of purity and pronouncing one divorce in each? There are two views, both reported from Ahmad. The first is that he may do so. This is the view of a group of the early scholars and the position of Abū Hanīfah. The second is that he may not do so. This is the view of most of the early scholars