Hazrat Sa'id bin al-Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "If a man makes an oath of abstinence (ila') from his wife and four months pass, the ila' does not take effect until he gives divorce." I said: "Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) says that after four months, one irrevocable divorce (bainah) takes place." He said: "When you meet Hasan, convey my greetings and tell him that he has said something very wrong."