بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

وَإِذَا طَلَّقۡتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَبَلَغۡنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَأَمۡسِكُوهُنَّ بِمَعۡرُوفٍ أَوۡ سَرِّحُوهُنَّ بِمَعۡرُوفٍ۬‌ۚ وَلَا تُمۡسِكُوهُنَّ ضِرَارً۬ا لِّتَعۡتَدُواْ‌ۚ وَمَن يَفۡعَلۡ ذَٲلِكَ فَقَدۡ ظَلَمَ نَفۡسَهُ ۥ‌ۚ وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوٓاْ ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ هُزُوً۬ا‌ۚ وَٱذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةِ يَعِظُكُم بِهِۦ‌ۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ۬

“When you have divorced women, and they have approached (the end of) their waiting periods, then, either retain them with fairness or release them with fairness. Do not retain them with wrongful intent, resulting in cruelty on your part, and whoever does this, wrongs himself. Do not take the verses of Allah in jest, and remember the grace of Allah on you and what He has revealed to you of the Book and the wisdom, giving you good counsel thereby, and fear Allah, and be sure that Allah is the One who knows everything. (231)”

Ruling: Above it was mentioned that if one or two revocable divorces were given, the husband has the right to retract his wife (this is known as raja). This verse now, explains that he will have this right of retraction during the iddah before it expires. If the iddah already expired, the husband does not have the right of raja (retraction). It also commands that one should only retract his wife if he desires to live with her in a good manner. It warns against retracting her for the sake of holding her in captivity to harass and torture her. In the case where the husband will not be able to live with the wife amicably, the verse commands him to divorce her in a kind manner. (Maarif Al Quran V1 pg 592)