Bismihi Ta`ala
*3 Talaaqs count as 3 Talaaqs and husband and wife cannot cohabit until she remarries another man.
Allah Ta`ala says in the Holy Qur-an:الطَّلَاقُ مَرَّتَانِ فَإِمْسَاكٌ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ تَسْرِيحٌ بِإِحْسَانٍ
“Divorce is twice. Then either to retain in all fairness, or to release nicely….” فَإِنْ طَلَّقَهَا فَلَا تَحِلُّ لَهُ مِنْ بَعْدُ حَتَّى تَنْكِحَ زَوْجًا غَيْرَهُ …”
Thereafter, if he divorces her, she shall no longer remain lawful for him unless she marries a man other than him.”(2:229-230)
These ayahs clearly defines the rules of divorce. After 2 Talaaqs, there is still possibility for husband and wife to cohabit together. Depending whether she is still in `Iddah, Talaaq Raj`ee or Ba-in given, ulamas should be consulted for the necessity of re-performance of the nikah or not.
But after the third word of Talaaq used, then there is no possibility for husband and wife to relive together except after she has consumed another marriage after her iddah.
The Qur-an explicitly talks on necessity of her Nikah with another man for her to become Halaal for the first husband. But the sunnah explains that sexual relation is necessary with the 2nd husband for her to become halaal for the first husband:عَنْ عَائِشَةَ
أَنَّ رَجُلًا طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ ثَلَاثًا فَتَزَوَّجَتْ فَطَلَّقَ فَسُئِلَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَتَحِلُّ لِلْأَوَّلِ قَالَ لَا حَتَّى يَذُوقَ عُسَيْلَتَهَا كَمَا ذَاقَ الْأَوَّلُ
بخاري
Hazrat Aisha r.a reports that one person gave his wife 3 talaaqs. She got married and got talaaq after that.
So the prophet Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam was asked on whether she became halaal for the first husband. The beloved prophet SAW answered:
‘‘No, until he taste her intimate sexual fluids like how the first one tasted her.’’ (Bukhari)
This is clear proof against those who advocate that 3 talaaqs are one talaaq. Had it been so, then the beloved prophet SAW would have not imposed proper halala here. There are famous sahabahs that gave 3 Talaaqs and then regretted over it. Never did they try to dwarf the issue to make the 3 talaaqs become one Talaaq. Some wordings have been misunderstood by us.
(أخبرنا) أبو الحسن على بن الحسين بن على البيهقى صاحب المدرسة بنيسابور أنبأ أبو حفص عمر بن احمد بن محمد) القرميسيى بها ثنا أبو عبد الله محمد بن ابراهيم بن زياد الطيالسي ثنا محمد بن حميد الرازي ثنا سلمة بن الفضل ثنا عمرو بن أبى قيس عن ابراهيم بن عبد الاعلى عن سويد بن غفلة قال كانت الخثعمية تحت الحسن بن على رضى الله عنهما فلما ان قتل على رضى الله عنه بويع الحسن بن على دخل عليها الحسن بن على فقالت له لتهنك الخلافة فقال الحسن بن على اظهرت الشماتة بقتل على انت طالق ثلاثا فتلففت في ثوبها (وقالت والله ما اردت هذا فمكثت حتى انقضت عدتها وتحولت فبعث إليها الحسن ابن على بقية من صداقها وبمتعة عشرين الف درهم فلما جاءها الرسول ورات المال قالت (متاع قليل من حبيب مفارق) فاخبر الرسول الحسن بن على رضى الله عنه فبكى وقال لولا انى سمعت أبى يحدث عن جدى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم انه قال من طلق امرأته ثلاثا لم تحل له حتى تنكح زوجا غيره لراجعتها
البيهقي
Reported in Baihaqi that when Hassan Ibn `Ali r.a. gave 3 talaaqs to his wife Aisha Khath `amiyyah and finally sent someone to pay the rest of her dowry and 20000 dirham in sympathy of divorce. When seeing this, his wife wished to return to Hassan r.a. But Hazrat Hassan r.a. said: ‘‘If I did not hear my father relating from Rasouloullah SAW that someone who gave 3 talaaqs would not be halaal to the first husband until she marry another husband, then I would have surely retaken her in my nikah.’’(Baihaqi)
Had 3 Talaaqs be one, then Hassan r.a. who was now Khalifah of the muslims would have been informed by other scholars of his time. The truth is that 3 Talaaqs are 3 Talaaqs and the wife cannot become halaal until she consumes another nikah after her iddah. If she happens to get talaaq with the second husband, then after her iddah again that she will become halaal to the first husband.
As such, please take the care NOT to give talaaq. If ever, after passive dialogue with the wife, then proceeding to arbitral sequence and then finally after consulting muslim scholars, there is no other way than Talaaq, then give only one Talaaq Raji`ee or Ba-in in such a purity that you did not touch your wife. ONE TALAAQ IS SUFFICIENT TO SEPARATE A HUSBAND AND A WIFE.
The sunnah instruct us to give talaaq in such a purity of the woman that you have not touched her. This means that Talaaq should not be given in hurry or in the state of anger. But should wait for some time and then, if found oneself in the same conclusion, then may give one in her purity days:
فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُرْهُ فَلْيُرَاجِعْهَا ثُمَّ لِيُمْسِكْهَا حَتَّى تَطْهُرَ ثُمَّ تَحِيضَ ثُمَّ تَطْهُرَ ثُمَّ إِنْ شَاءَ أَمْسَكَ بَعْدُ وَإِنْ شَاءَ طَلَّقَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَمَسَّ فَتِلْكَ الْعِدَّةُ الَّتِي أَمَرَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تُطَلَّقَ لَهَا النِّسَاءُ
بخاري
Rasouloullah SAW instructed Ibn Umar to ratake his wife that was divorced during menses. Then he should wait for her to bath, have menses again and then again pure and then decide whether to give her talaaq or not.(Bukhari)
*A SIGH OF THE QIYAMAH* :
Also note that it is a sigh of the day of jugement that people will give 3 Talaaq and then they will still cohabit as adulterers, having unlawful children. (Tabrani):
يَا ابْنَ مَسْ:
أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، وَأَنَّى ذَاكَ؟ قَالَ: يَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ يُطَلِّقُ الرَّجُلُ الْمَرْأَةَ، ثُمَّ يَجْحَدُ طَلاقَهَا فَيُقِيمُ عَلَى فَرْجِهَعُودٍ، إِنَّ مِنْ أَعْلامِ السَّاعَةِ وَأَشْرَاطِهَا أَنْ يَكْثُرَ أَوْلادُ الزِّنَى، قُلْتُ: أَبَا عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ، وَهُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، قُلْتُ: أَبَا عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ، وَالْقُرْآنُ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَيْهِمْ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، قُلْتُا، فَهُمَا زَانِيَانِ مَا أَقَامَا .
الطبراني
*HALALA*
Now, there are many occasions when the husband wish to return to the wife and then he kind of of organise the halala of the wife. That is, he instructs someone close to him to do nikah with the wife and then to divorce her so that she may become halaal for him. If he penetrated her and then give her talaaq, then she will become halaal for the first husband though. But it is reprehensible to organise halala. Better to leave the natural sequence of her nikah and her talaaq. Else to attach condition of talaaq at the spot of nikah is makrooh tahreemi.(Shami). This is because the beloved prophet SAW cursed such purposely halala initiatives:عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْمُحَلِّلَ وَالْمُحَلَّلَ لَهُ
ابن ماجة
The beloved prophet SAW cursed the person that performs halala objectively for the first husband and also he cursed the one for whom halala is done(the first husband)-Ibn Majah
Nonetheless, ulamas accept nikahs with conditions mentioned in the nikah contract or not. But better that the woman may say this at the time of nikah: ‘‘I make nikah with you(2nd husband) on the condition that I keep the power of attorney of my freedom(talaaq).’’ Then after penetration, she may give herself talaaq and wait for her iddah to finish to remarry the first husband. If both of them hid their initiatives of halala, then it is not reprehensible.
Note that she will not become halaal for the first husband until she has sexual relation with the second husband. Only a nikah contract or spending time in the room will not make her halaal. This is supported by hadith of Rasouloullah SAW to the wife of Rifa`ah:
فَقَالَ أَتُرِيدِينَ أَنْ تَرْجِعِي إِلَى رِفَاعَةَ لَا حَتَّى تَذُوقِي عُسَيْلَتَهُ وَيَذُوقَ عُسَيْلَتَكِ
بخاري
‘‘Do you wish to return to Rifa`ah? You can`t do so until you don`t taste his sexual fluids and he tastes your sexual fluids.’’(Bukhari)
By the way, she was called wife of Rifa’ah inducing that a wife may adopt the surname of the husband, if she wish to do so. There is no such thing that she is calling herself the daughter of the husband.