Is artificial insemination regarded as taking back a wife who is revocably divorced?
Question

                Is the process of having test-tube babies or artificial insemination regarded as taking back a wife who has been divorced once? Artificial insemination or test-tube babies, as you know, involves taking an egg from the woman laproscopically, and taking semen from the man by means of masturbation, then sending them to the lab, where the semen is added to the woman’s egg in a test-tube. Can this process be regarded as taking back the wife, especially since they will return the egg, after fertilisation, to the woman’s uterus by means of another laparoscopic procedure? If pregnancy occurs, will her ‘iddah last until she gives birth, or is this regarded as taking her back?
Praise be to Allah.
    Firstly: 

    There are several 
    problems with artificial insemination, and taking this matter lightly leads 
    to serious negative consequences. It is essential for both partners to be 
    cautious with regard to this matter and to ensure that this procedure is 
    done by trustworthy medical professionals. 

    Please see the 
    answer to question no.3474 

    Secondly: 

    The scholars 
    differed concerning taking back the wife when her ‘iddah has not yet ended: 
    is that accomplished just by doing the deed, or is it essential to speak 
    words to that effect, as at the beginning of marriage? 

    It says in 
    al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah (22/9-12): 

    The fuqaha’ are 
    unanimously agreed that taking back the wife is valid if words are uttered 
    to that effect, such as if he says to his (revocably) divorced wife before 
    the ‘iddah ends, “I take you back” or any other words to that effect. 

    With regard to 
    taking back the wife by means of actions: 

    The Hanafis are of 
    the view that intercourse and things that precede it are valid for taking 
    the wife back. The Maalikis are of the view that taking the wife back is 
    valid in the form of actions such as intercourse and things that precede it,
    on condition that the husband intends by these actions to take his wife 
    back. 

    According to the 
    Shaafa‘is, taking back the wife in the form of actions is not valid in any 
    circumstances, whether it is done by intercourse or the things that precede 
    it, and whether or not the action is accompanied by the husband’s intention 
    to take her back. 

    The Hanbalis 
    differentiated between intercourse and the things that precede it, with 
    regard to the validity of taking the wife back. In their view, taking the 
    wife back in the form of intercourse is valid, but not in the form of things 
    that precede intercourse.

    End quote. 

    The most correct 
    scholarly opinion concerning this matter is that taking the wife back may be 
    done by actions, if the intention is to take her back. However, if he does 
    not intend to take her back, then that cannot be done merely by actions. 

    Shaykh Ibn 
    ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    He may take her 
    back by uttering words, so he may say: I take my wife back. Or he may take 
    her back by means of actions, so he may have intercourse with her with the 
    intention of taking her back. 

    End quote from 
    Fataawa Islamiyyah, 3/423 

    See also the 
    answer to question no. 101702 

    Thirdly: 

    Based on the 
    above, if the husband intends to take his wife back, then it is permissible 
    for them to undergo artificial insemination, and it is sufficient for them 
    to go ahead with this procedure, if the husband intends thereby to take his 
    wife back. It is not stipulated that he should take her back by uttering 
    words, although that is preferable and more on the safe side. 

    If he has taken 
    his wife back by his words or by his actions accompanied by the intention, 
    then her ‘iddah has ended, because she is no longer regarded as divorced; 
    rather she has gone back to being truly married. So there is no need to 
    consider her ‘iddah or how it will end, unless he divorces her again. 

    But if he did not 
    intend to take his wife back, it is not permissible for him to go ahead with 
    artificial insemination with her when she is divorced from him, because 
    artificial insemination is only permissible with one’s wife, and merely 
    doing artificial insemination without the intention of taking her back does 
    not constitute taking her back. 

    And Allah knows 
    best.