‘Amr b. Shu'aib, on his father’s authority, said his grandfather reported God’s Messenger as saying, “No descendant of Adam may make a vow about what he does not possess, or set free what he does not possess, or divorce what he does not possess.”
Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Abu Dawud added, “or sell what he does not possess.”
‘Ali reported the Prophet as saying, “There is no divorce before marriage, no manumission till one has possession, no continuous fasting, no orphan hood after the age of puberty, no suckling after weaning, and no silence all day up to the night”.*
* Observing a complete day's silence as a religious practice is rejected.
Rukana b. 'Abd Yazid said he divorced his wife Suhaima absolutely and when the Prophet was informed of that he said, “I swear by God that I meant it to be only a single utterance of divorce.” God’s Messenger asked him if that was so, and when he assured him that it was, he restored her to him. Then he divorced her the second time in the time of ‘Umar and the third time in the time of ‘Uthman.
Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Darimi transmitted it, but only Abu Dawud mentioned the second and third time (See Abu Dawud’s Sunan, Talaq, 14).
