What is the ruling of Islamic law regarding a man saying to his wife, "You are divorced, and let your mother benefit you," and his saying to her father, "Your daughter is divorced," twice at different times, and what is the expiation and method for taking the wife back?

Your saying to your wife, "You are divorced," effects an explicit divorce. Informing her father that she is divorced does not effect a new divorce if it is merely an act of informing. However, if you intended to initiate a new divorce with each utterance, then a major irrevocable divorce (baynunah kubra) has occurred. If you intended to initiate the divorce with the first utterance and confirm it with the second, then two divorces are counted. If you had no intention, some scholars differentiate between repeating the news alone "You are divorced, divorced" (one divorce) and repeating the news with the subject "You are divorced, you are divorced" (two divorces).

If fewer than three divorces have occurred, you may reconcile with her before the waiting period (iddah (definition)) ends. However, if three divorces have occurred, she becomes unlawful for you until she marries another man willingly and he divorces her after consummating the marriage. This is the view of the majority of scholars. As for the view of Ibn Taymiyyah, only one divorce is binding upon you because, in his view, the divorce in the second case is an innovation (bid'i) and not binding, and you may reconcile with her if this divorce does not complete the three.