Repeating talaq with the intention of emphasis

Question

Question: A man gave his wife one talaq and then took her back (ruju‘) within the ‘idda. About eight months later, for some reason, he again wanted to give a second talaq, but this time he gave three talaqs, keeping precisely this intention: “I give one talaq, and the remaining talaqs are for the strengthening and emphasis (ta’kid) of that same one talaq.” So is this talaq revocable (raj‘i), irrevocable (ba’in) or major (mughallaza)? And what way is possible for returning to the first husband?

Answer

The husband has the power (ikhtiyar) of only three talaqs. After giving the first talaq and taking her back, he no longer had the power of three talaqs; only the power of two talaqs remained. When he again gave three talaqs, two of them took effect and she became major-divorced (mughallaza), while the third — which is in fact the fourth — went to waste.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.