Those who cite this hadith as evidence reply that it is also reported from Ibn Abbās, through Ikrima, that he counted it as one divorce. Reports through Ikrima from Ibn Abbās agreeing with Tāwūs’s hadith are established, both as reports traced back to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and as statements of Ibn Abbās himself. Nothing contrary to this has been established from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. The report traced back to him states:

“Rukāna divorced his wife three times, but the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, restored her to him.”

Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said in his Musnad: Sa‘īd ibn Ibrāhīm narrated to us: My father narrated to us, from Ibn Ishāq, who said: Dāwūd ibn al-Husayn narrated to me, from Ikrima, the freedman of Ibn Abbās, who said:

“Rukāna ibn Abd Yazīd, a member of Banū al-Muttalib, divorced his wife three times in one sitting and then grieved deeply over her. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, asked him, ‘How did you divorce her?’

“He replied, ‘I divorced her three times.’

“He asked, ‘In one sitting?’

“He replied, ‘Yes.’

“He said, ‘That counts as only one divorce, so take her back if you wish.’ He then took her back.”

Ibn Abbās used to say: “Divorce is to be pronounced only at each period of purity.”

I say: In this hadith, Ibn Ishāq expressly said, “Dāwūd narrated to me.” Dāwūd was one of Mālik’s teachers and one of the narrators cited by al-Bukhārī. When Ibn Ishāq says, “He narrated to me,” he is considered trustworthy by hadith scholars. This is a good chain of transmission, and it has a corroborating report through another route, related by Abū Dāwūd in his Sunan. Abū Dāwūd did not mention this good route, and therefore considered the report of a single irrevocable divorce more authentic. The matter is not as he stated; rather, Imam Ahmad preferred this version to that one, and Ahmad’s assessment is correct. We have discussed this at length elsewhere.