Muwatta Malik 1158

These are the words of a Successor — the generation after the Companions — not of the Prophet ﷺ.

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ ابْنَ شِهَابٍ، يَقُولُ فِي الرَّجُلِ يَقُولُ لاِمْرَأَتِهِ بَرِئْتِ مِنِّي وَبَرِئْتُ مِنْكِ إِنَّهَا ثَلاَثُ تَطْلِيقَاتٍ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْبَتَّةِ ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ فِي الرَّجُلِ يَقُولُ لاِمْرَأَتِهِ أَنْتِ خَلِيَّةٌ أَوْ بَرِيَّةٌ أَوْ بَائِنَةٌ إِنَّهَا ثَلاَثُ تَطْلِيقَاتٍ لِلْمَرْأَةِ الَّتِي قَدْ دَخَلَ بِهَا وَيُدَيَّنُ فِي الَّتِي لَمْ يَدْخُلْ بِهَا أَوَاحِدَةً أَرَادَ أَمْ ثَلاَثًا فَإِنْ قَالَ وَاحِدَةً أُحْلِفَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَكَانَ خَاطِبًا مِنَ الْخُطَّابِ لأَنَّهُ لاَ يُخْلِي الْمَرْأَةَ الَّتِي قَدْ دَخَلَ بِهَا زَوْجُهَا وَلاَ يُبِينُهَا وَلاَ يُبْرِيهَا إِلاَّ ثَلاَثُ تَطْلِيقَاتٍ وَالَّتِي لَمْ يَدْخُلْ بِهَا تُخْلِيهَا وَتُبْرِيهَا وَتُبِينُهَا الْوَاحِدَةُ ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَهَذَا أَحْسَنُ مَا سَمِعْتُ فِي ذَلِكَ ‏.‏

Yahya related to me from Malik that he heard Ibn Shihab say that if a man said to his wife, "You are free of me, and I am free of you, " it counted as three pronouncements of divorce as if it were an 'irrevocable' divorce. Malik said that if a man made any strong statement such as these to his wife, it counted as three pronouncements of divorce for a woman whose marriage had been consummated, or it was written as one of three for a woman whose marriage had not been consummated, whichever the man wished. If he said he intended only one divorce he swore to it and he became one of the suitors because, whereas a woman whose marriage had been consummated was made inaccessible by three pronouncements of divorce, the woman whose marriage had not been consummated was made inaccessible by only one pronouncement. Malik said, "That is the best of what I have heard