It is not permissible for a woman who has been thrice-divorced to return to the one who divorced her until she marries another husband who has intercourse with her, then divorces her, and she completes the 'Iddah

'A'isha (Allah he pleased with her) reported: There came the wife of Rifa'a to Allah's Apostle ﷺ and said: I was married to Rifa'a but he divorced me, making may divorce irrevocable. Afterwards I married Abd al-Rahman b. al-Zubair, but all he possesses is like the fringe of a garment (i. e. he is sexually weak). Thereupon Messenger of Allah ﷺ smiled, and said: Do you wish to return to Rifa'a. (You) cannot (do it) until you have tasted his sweetness and he ('Abd al-Rahman) has tasted your sweetness. Abu Bakr was at that time near him (the Holy Prophet) and Khalid (b. Sa'id) was at the door waiting for the permission to be granted to him to enter), He (Khalid) said;
Abu Bakr, do you hear what she is saying loudly in the presence of Messenger of Allah ﷺ?

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَعَمْرٌو النَّاقِدُ، - وَاللَّفْظُ لِعَمْرٍو - قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ جَاءَتِ امْرَأَةُ رِفَاعَةَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَتْ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ رِفَاعَةَ فَطَلَّقَنِي فَبَتَّ طَلاَقِي فَتَزَوَّجْتُ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ الزَّبِيرِ وَإِنَّ مَا مَعَهُ مِثْلُ هُدْبَةِ الثَّوْبِ فَتَبَسَّمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ " أَتُرِيدِينَ أَنْ تَرْجِعِي إِلَى رِفَاعَةَ لاَ حَتَّى تَذُوقِي عُسَيْلَتَهُ وَيَذُوقَ عُسَيْلَتَكِ " . قَالَتْ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ عِنْدَهُ وَخَالِدٌ بِالْبَابِ يَنْتَظِرُ أَنْ يُؤْذَنَ لَهُ فَنَادَى يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ أَلاَ تَسْمَعُ هَذِهِ مَا تَجْهَرُ بِهِ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ .

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her), the wife of Allah's Apostle ﷺ, reported that Rifa'a al-Quraid (Allah be pleased with him) divorced his wife, making her divorce irrevocable. Afterwards she married Abd at-Rahman b. al-Zubair (Allah be pleased with him), She came to Allah'sApostle (may peace be upon him and said to Allah's messenger ﷺ that she had been the wife of Rifa'a (Allah be pleased with him) and he had divorced her by three pronouncements and afterwards she married 'Abd al-Rahman b. al-Zubair. By Allah, all he possesses is like the fringe of a garment, and she took hold of the fringe of her garment. Thereupon Messenger of Allah ﷺ laughed and said: Perhaps you wish to return to Rifa'a, (but you) cannot (do it) until he has tasted your sweetness and you have tasted his sweetness. Abu Bakr al-siddiq (Allah be pleased with him) was sitting at that time with Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Khalid b. Sa'id b. al-'As (Allah be pleased with him) was sitting at the door of his apartment and he was not permitted to (enter the room), and Kbalid called loudly saying: Abu Bakr, why don't you scold her for what she is saying loudly in the presence of Messenger of Allah ﷺ?

حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو الطَّاهِرِ، وَحَرْمَلَةُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، - وَاللَّفْظُ لِحَرْمَلَةَ - قَالَ أَبُو الطَّاهِرِ حَدَّثَنَا وَقَالَ، حَرْمَلَةُ أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي يُونُسُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ، زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَخْبَرَتْهُ أَنَّ رِفَاعَةَ الْقُرَظِيَّ طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ فَبَتَّ طَلاَقَهَا فَتَزَوَّجَتْ بَعْدَهُ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ الزَّبِيرِ فَجَاءَتِ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهَا كَانَتْ تَحْتَ رِفَاعَةَ فَطَلَّقَهَا آخِرَ ثَلاَثِ تَطْلِيقَاتٍ فَتَزَوَّجْتُ بَعْدَهُ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ الزَّبِيرِ وَإِنَّهُ وَاللَّهِ مَا مَعَهُ إِلاَّ مِثْلُ الْهُدْبَةِ وَأَخَذَتْ بِهُدْبَةٍ مِنْ جِلْبَابِهَا . قَالَ فَتَبَسَّمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ضَاحِكًا فَقَالَ " لَعَلَّكِ تُرِيدِينَ أَنْ تَرْجِعِي إِلَى رِفَاعَةَ لاَ حَتَّى يَذُوقَ عُسَيْلَتَكِ وَتَذُوقِي عُسَيْلَتَهُ " . وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ جَالِسٌ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَخَالِدُ بْنُ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْعَاصِ جَالِسٌ بِبَابِ الْحُجْرَةِ لَمْ يُؤْذَنْ لَهُ قَالَ فَطَفِقَ خَالِدٌ يُنَادِي أَبَا بَكْرٍ أَلاَ تَزْجُرُ هَذِهِ عَمَّا تَجْهَرُ بِهِ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ.

'A'isha (Allah bjpl'eased with her) reported that Rifa'a al Qurazi divorced his wife and afterwards Abd al-Rahman b. al-Zubair married her. She came to Allah's Apostle (may peace he upon him) and said: Messenger of Allah, Rifa'a has divorced me by three pronouncements. (The rest of the hadith is the same.)

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّ رِفَاعَةَ الْقُرَظِيَّ، طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ فَتَزَوَّجَهَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ الزَّبِيرِ فَجَاءَتِ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ رِفَاعَةَ طَلَّقَهَا آخِرَ ثَلاَثِ تَطْلِيقَاتٍ . بِمِثْلِ حَدِيثِ يُونُسَ .

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about a woman whom a man married and then divorced her, and then she married (another) person, and she was divorced before sexual intercourse with her, whether it was lawful for her first husband (to marry her in this state). He (the Holy Prophet) said: No, until he has tasted her sweetness.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ سُئِلَ عَنِ الْمَرْأَةِ يَتَزَوَّجُهَا الرَّجُلُ فَيُطَلِّقُهَا فَتَتَزَوَّجُ رَجُلاً فَيُطَلِّقُهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ بِهَا أَتَحِلُّ لِزَوْجِهَا الأَوَّلِ قَالَ " لاَ حَتَّى يَذُوقَ عُسَيْلَتَهَا ".

A hadith like this has been narrated on the authority of Hisham with the same chain of transmitters.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ فُضَيْلٍ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ جَمِيعًا عَنْ هِشَامٍ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ .

'A'Asha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: A person divorced his wife by three pronouncements;
then another person married her and he also divorced her without having sexual intercourse with her. Then the first husband of her intended to remarry her. It was about such a case that Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked, whereupon he said: No, until the second one has tasted her sweetness as the first one had tasted.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُسْهِرٍ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ طَلَّقَ رَجُلٌ امْرَأَتَهُ ثَلاَثًا فَتَزَوَّجَهَا رَجُلٌ ثُمَّ طَلَّقَهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ بِهَا فَأَرَادَ زَوْجُهَا الأَوَّلُ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَهَا فَسُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ " لاَ حَتَّى يَذُوقَ الآخِرُ مِنْ عُسَيْلَتِهَا مَا ذَاقَ الأَوَّلُ " .