Divorce by three pronouncements is not permissible, and the husband must repent

Question: H. A. Q. came to me, accompanied by his brother-in-law, who is known to us from the esteemed Shaykh A. S. M., bearing a letter dated 28/4/1393 AH, carried by the aforementioned brother-in-law. According to the admission and confession of the aforementioned husband, he wrote to his wife a divorce by three pronouncements using this wording, and handed over a document to the hand of her aforementioned father. He had not divorced her before that, nor after it. When we asked his brother-in-law about the facts, he produced a document numbered (907) dated 14/10/1390 AH, which confirms what the aforementioned husband admitted, dictated by the esteemed judge of the Shari'ah court in Jeddah. We asked his brother-in-law whether any divorce preceded this divorce or followed it, and whether his daughter desired to return to him if the Shari'ah permitted it. He answered that he did not know that the aforementioned husband had divorced her before this divorce, nor after it. He also answered that his daughter desired to return to the aforementioned husband if the Shari'ah permitted it.

Answer: Based on all of the above, I issued a ruling to both of them that one pronouncement of divorce has taken effect on the aforementioned wife through the aforementioned divorce, and that he may return to her with a new marriage contract, with its valid conditions, because she has exited the waiting period. It is authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that such a divorce is considered one pronouncement. I informed him that divorce by three pronouncements is not permissible, and that the aforementioned husband must repent from that.
Said by its dictation, the poor one seeking the forgiveness of his Lord, Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz, and may Allah send prayers upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions, and peace be upon them.