As for the hadith of the two involved in li'an (imprecation), it is not binding because the separation did not occur by means of divorce; rather, it occurred by the mere act of their li'an. According to al-Shafi'i, it occurs by the mere act of the husband's li'an, so there is no argument in it. Furthermore, li'an necessitates an eternal prohibition, so the divorce after it is like divorce after the annulment of marriage due to breastfeeding or other reasons. Moreover, the combination of three [divorces] was prohibited because of what follows it (16) in terms of regret, the harm that results from it, and the loss of the lawfulness of marrying her, none of which occurs through divorce after li'an, as that is already achieved by the li'an itself. As for the other hadith, the combination of three did not occur in the presence of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) for him to have approved it, nor was the divorcer present before the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) at the time he was informed of it so that he could rebuke him. Furthermore, the hadith of Fatima states that he sent to her one divorce that had remained for her from her divorce, and the hadith of the wife of Rifa'a states that he divorced her as the last of three divorces, as agreed upon; thus, there was no combination of three in any of that. There is no disagreement among everyone that the better and preferred choice is to divorce [one's wife] once, then leave her until her waiting period (iddah) expires, except for what we have recounted from the statement of one who said that he should divorce her once in every menstrual cycle. The first approach is more appropriate, for it constitutes compliance with the command of Allah the Exalted, conformity to the statement of the predecessors (salaf), and security from regret; for whenever he regrets, he may take her back, and if he misses that opportunity by the expiration of her waiting period, he still has the right to marry her. Muhammad ibn Sirin said: Ali (may Allah honor his face) said: "If people had adhered to what Allah commanded regarding divorce, no man would ever follow a woman with [successive divorces]; he should divorce her once, then leave her for the duration between that and her having three menstrual cycles, and whenever he wishes, he may take her back." Al-Najjad reported it with his chain of narration (17). From Abdullah [ibn Mas'ud], he said: "Whoever wants to perform the divorce that is the correct divorce, let him delay until she has menstruated and then become pure, then divorce her once without having had sexual intercourse, then leave her until her waiting period expires (18). Let him not divorce her three times while she is pregnant, for then Allah would combine upon him the burden of her maintenance and the wages for her breastfeeding, and Allah would cause him to regret, and he would find no way to her (19)."