"Those who take an oath, not to have sexual relations with their wives, must wait four months."

Narrated Anas bin Malik:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) took an oath that he would abstain from his wives, and at that time his leg had been sprained (dislocated). So he stayed in the Mashruba (an attic room) of his for 29 days. Then he came down, and they (the people) said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ! You took an oath to abstain from your wives for one month." He said, "The month is of twenty nine days."

حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ أَبِي أُوَيْسٍ، عَنْ أَخِيهِ، عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ حُمَيْدٍ الطَّوِيلِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ، يَقُولُ آلَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْ نِسَائِهِ، وَكَانَتِ انْفَكَّتْ رِجْلُهُ فَأَقَامَ فِي مَشْرُبَةٍ لَهُ تِسْعًا وَعِشْرِينَ، ثُمَّ نَزَلَ فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ آلَيْتَ شَهْرًا‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏

‏ الشَّهْرُ تِسْعٌ وَعِشْرُونَ ‏

‏‏.‏

Narrated Nafi`:

Ibn `Umar used to say about the Ila (which Allah defined (in the Holy Book), "If the period of Ila expires, then the husband has either to retain his wife in a handsome manner or to divorce her as Allah has ordered."

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، أَنَّ ابْنَ عُمَرَ، رضى الله عنهما كَانَ يَقُولُ فِي الإِيلاَءِ الَّذِي سَمَّى اللَّهُ لاَ يَحِلُّ لأَحَدٍ بَعْدَ الأَجَلِ إِلاَّ أَنْ يُمْسِكَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ، أَوْ يَعْزِمَ بِالطَّلاَقِ، كَمَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ‏.‏

Ibn `Umar added:

"When the period of four months has expired, the husband should be put in prison so that he should divorce his wife, but the divorce does not occur unless the husband himself declares it. This has been mentioned by `Uthman, `Ali, Abu Ad-Darda, `Aisha and twelve other companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) ."

وَقَالَ لِي إِسْمَاعِيلُ حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، إِذَا مَضَتْ أَرْبَعَةُ أَشْهُرٍ يُوقَفُ حَتَّى يُطَلِّقَ، وَلاَ يَقَعُ عَلَيْهِ الطَّلاَقُ حَتَّى يُطَلِّقَ‏.‏ وَيُذْكَرُ ذَلِكَ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ وَأَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ وَعَائِشَةَ وَاثْنَىْ عَشَرَ رَجُلاً مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم‏.‏