What is the ruling on purchasing an enslaved woman who was married but divorced by her husband before consummation?

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If one purchases an enslaved woman who was married and her husband divorced her before consummation, she is not lawful for the purchaser without a *istibra'* (period of ascertaining purity). Ahmad explicitly stated this, considering the omission of *istibra'* in this case a legal trick (*hila*) established by the People of Opinion (*Ahl al-Ra'y*). The justification is that this situation constitutes a renewal of ownership, and her purity has not been established during the current ownership. Furthermore, waiving *istibra'* here serves as a pretext to waive it entirely, such as when a man marries a woman for the sole purpose of her being divorced immediately after the sale is finalized. Since legal trickery is forbidden, *istibra'* is necessary.