A man said to Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he had given his wife one hundred divorces. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) replied that she has become separated from you with three divorces, and with the remaining ninety-seven (97) divorces you have made a mockery of the verses of Allah.

A man came to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: I have given my wife two hundred divorces. Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: What did the people say to you? He replied: They said to me that your wife has become separated from you. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: They have spoken the truth. Whoever gives divorce according to the command of Allah, Allah has explained its procedure, and whoever acts with confusion so that we have to bear hardship, those people speak the truth, your wife has become separated from you.

It is narrated from Abu Bakr bin Hazm that Umar bin Abdul Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, asked: What do people say about the irrevocable divorce (batta)? Abu Bakr said: Aban bin Uthman considered it as one divorce. Umar bin Abdul Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, said: If divorce were valid up to a thousand, then batta would not leave anything remaining from it; whoever says batta has reached the limit.

It is narrated from Ibn Shihab that Marwan used to give the ruling of three divorces in an irrevocable divorce (talaq batti).
Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said that he liked this narration very much.