Hazrat Urwah bin Zubair used to say: Previously, it was the custom that a man would divorce his wife, and when her waiting period (iddah) was about to end, he would take her back. He would always do this, even if he divorced her a thousand times. One man did the same with his wife: he divorced her, and when her waiting period was about to end, he took her back, then divorced her again and said, "By Allah! I will neither keep you with me nor let you join anyone else." When Allah the Exalted revealed this verse: "Divorce is twice; then either retain [her] in accordance with what is acceptable or release [her] with good treatment," from that day people began the process of divorce anew—those who had divorced and those who had not, all of them.