Sunan of Abu Dawood Book 13, Hadith 2199

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ مَرْوَانَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو النُّعْمَانِ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ أَيُّوبَ، عَنْ غَيْرِ، وَاحِدٍ، عَنْ طَاوُسٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، يُقَالُ لَهُ أَبُو الصَّهْبَاءِ كَانَ كَثِيرَ السُّؤَالِ لاِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ الرَّجُلَ كَانَ إِذَا طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ ثَلاَثًا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ بِهَا جَعَلُوهَا وَاحِدَةً عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَصَدْرًا مِنْ إِمَارَةِ عُمَرَ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ بَلَى كَانَ الرَّجُلُ إِذَا طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ ثَلاَثًا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ بِهَا جَعَلُوهَا وَاحِدَةً عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَصَدْرًا مِنْ إِمَارَةِ عُمَرَ فَلَمَّا رَأَى النَّاسَ قَدْ تَتَابَعُوا فِيهَا قَالَ أَجِيزُوهُنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ ‏.‏

Tawus said A man called Abu Al Sahba used to ask Ibn ‘Abbas questions frequently. He asked "Do you know that when a man divorced his wife by three pronouncement before sexual intercourse with her, they (the people) made it a single divorce during the time of the Apostle of Allaah(ﷺ), of Abu Bakr and in the early phase of the caliphate of ‘Umar?" Ibn "Abbas said "Yes, when a man divorced his wife by three pronouncement before sexual intercourse they made it a single divorce during the time of the Apostle of Allaah(ﷺ), of Abu Bakr and in the early phase of the caliphate of ‘Umar. When he saw that the people frequently divorced (by three pronouncements) he said "Make them operative on them (i.e., on women)"