Waiting Period
17 hadiths
A woman should not mourn for any dead person more than three days except her husband, for whom she should mourn four months and ten days
’Umm ‘Atiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A woman should not mourn for any dead person more than three days except her husband, for whom she should mourn four months and ten days. She should not wear dyed clothes (while in mourning) except ‘Asb (an unattractive Yemeni garment), nor should she apply kohl or touch perfume, except when she becomes purified (from her menses), as she may then apply a little Qust or Azhfār (types of incense)."
It is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn for a deceased more than three [days], but for her husband, four months and ten days
A relative of Umm Habībah died, so she asked for a yellow perfume and wiped it over her arms and said: "I do this only because I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: It is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn for a deceased more than three [days], but for her husband, four months and ten days.'"
The wife of Thābit ibn Qays was separated from her husband by a Khul‘ during the time of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). So the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered her to observe a waiting period of one menstrual cycle
Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The wife of Thābit ibn Qays was separated from her husband by a Khul‘ during the time of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). So the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered her to observe a waiting period of one menstrual cycle.
Barīrah was instructed to observe an ‘Iddah of three menstrual cycles
‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: Barīrah was instructed to observe an ‘Iddah of three menstrual cycles.
عدة الحامل المتوفى عنها
عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ قَالَ: جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، وَأَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ جَالِسٌ عِنْدَهُ، فَقَالَ: أَفْتِنِي فِي امْرَأَةٍ وَلَدَتْ بَعْدَ زَوْجِهَا بِأَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً؟ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: آخِرُ الأَجَلَيْنِ، قُلْتُ أَنَا: {وَأُولاَتُ الأَحْمَالِ أَجَلُهُنَّ أَنْ يَضَعْنَ حَمْلَهُنَّ} [الطلاق: 4]، قَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ: أَنَا مَعَ ابْنِ أَخِي، يَعْنِي أَبَا سَلَمَةَ، فَأَرْسَلَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ غُلاَمَهُ كُرَيْبًا إِلَى أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ يَسْأَلُهَا، فَقَالَتْ: قُتِلَ زَوْجُ سُبَيْعَةَ الأَسْلَمِيَّةِ وَهِيَ حُبْلَى، فَوَضَعَتْ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ بِأَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً، فَخُطِبَتْ، فَأَنْكَحَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَكَانَ أَبُو السَّنَابِلِ فِيمَنْ خَطَبَهَا.
كانت أسماء بنت يزيد بن السكن أول من أنزلت فيها العدة للمطلقات
عَنْ أَسْمَاءَ بِنْتِ يَزِيدَ بْنِ السَّكَنِ الْأَنْصَارِيَّةِ أَنَّهَا طُلِّقَتْ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لِلْمُطَلَّقَةِ عِدَّةٌ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ حِينَ طُلِّقَتْ أَسْمَاءُ بِالْعِدَّةِ لِلطَّلَاقِ، فَكَانَتْ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أُنْزِلَتْ فِيهَا الْعِدَّةُ لِلْمُطَلَّقَاتِ.
المتوفى عنها زوجها لا تلبس المُعْصْفَرَ من الثياب
عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «الْمُتَوَفَّى عَنْهَا زَوْجُهَا لَا تَلْبَسُ الْمُعَصْفَرَ مِنَ الثِّيَابِ، وَلَا الْمُمَشَّقَةَ، وَلَا الْحُلِيَّ، وَلَا تَخْتَضِبُ، وَلَا تَكْتَحِلُ».
When a woman’s husband died, she would go into a small hut, wear her worst clothes and would not touch any kind of perfume until a whole year would pass. Then an animal – a donkey, bird, or sheep – would be brought to her and she would rub her skin with it
Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, my daughter’s husband died, and she complains about her eye. Can we apply Kohl thereto?" The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said 'No' twice or thrice. Then he said: "It is only four months and ten days. In the pre-Islamic era, you women would throw away the dung after a year had passed." Zaynab said: “When a woman’s husband died, she would go into a small hut, wear her worst clothes and would not touch any kind of perfume until a whole year would pass. Then an animal – a donkey, bird, or sheep – would be brought to her and she would rub her skin with it. It was seldom that she would rub her skin with any animal except that it died! Then she would come out and be given a piece of dung, which she would throw away. Then, she would return to using perfume or anything else she liked.”
Hadīth of Subay‘ah al-Aslamiyyah regarding ‘Iddah
Subay‘ah al-Aslamiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that she was married to Sa‘d ibn Khawlah, who belonged to the tribe of ‘Āmir ibn Lu’ay. He was one of the Companions who participated in the battle of Badr. He died during the Farewell Hajj while Subay‘ah was pregnant. Shortly after his death, she delivered her child. When her post-natal bleeding stopped, she beautified herself for prospective suitors. Abu As-Sanābil ibn Ba‘kak (a man from the tribe of Banu ‘Abd Ad-Dār) entered upon her and said: "Why are you thus adorned? Perhaps you wish to remarry? By Allah, you cannot remarry unless four months and ten days (of ‘Iddah) have passed." Subay‘ah said: "When he said that, I put on my clothes in the evening and I went to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). I asked him about that, and he gave me a Fatwa that remarrying had became lawful to me when I delivered my child, and he ordered me to marry if I so wished." Ibn Shihāb said: "I do not find anything wrong with her marrying right after she gives birth, even if she is still bleeding (post-partum) except that her new husband should not approach her until she attains purity (when the bleeding stops).
No, go and collect the harvest from your trees, for perhaps you will give (some of it in) charity or do a good deed with it
Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: My maternal aunt was divorced, and she wanted to collect the harvest from her date-palm trees. A man rebuked her for going out to the trees. So she went to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) who said: "No, go and collect the harvest from your trees, for perhaps you will give (some of it in) charity or do a good deed with it."
Stay in your house until the term (of ‘Iddah) lapses. She said: So I spent my ‘Iddah therein (in her husband's house) for four months and ten days
Furay‘ah bint Mālik ibn Sinān, sister of Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri, reported that she went to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him if she could return to her family, Banu Khudrah, because her husband went out chasing his slaves who ran away; and when he caught them at the borders of Al-Qadūm, they killed him. She said: "I asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) if I could go back to my people, for he (the murdered husband) did not leave me in a dwelling of his own, nor did he leave me with any financial maintenance?" She said: "The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) replied: 'Yes.'" She said: "I went out, and when I was in the apartment or in the mosque, he called for me, or he commanded someone to call me and he said: 'What did you say?' So I repeated my story which I had already mentioned about my husband. Thereupon he said: 'Stay in your house until the term (of ‘Iddah) lapses.'" She said: "So I spent my ‘Iddah therein (in her husband's house) for four months and ten days. When ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān became the caliph, he sent for me and asked me about that; so I informed him, and he followed it and decided cases accordingly.’"
O Messenger of Allah, my husband has divorced me three times and I am afraid that my house will be broken into
Fātimah bint Qays reported: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, my husband has divorced me three times and I am afraid that my house will be broken into." So, he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told me to move.
Do not confuse the Sunnah of our Prophet. The ‘Iddah of a mother-slave girl whose master dies is four months and ten (days)
‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Do not confuse the Sunnah of our Prophet. The ‘Iddah of a mother-slave girl whose master dies is four months and ten (days)."
‘Urwah ibn Az-Zubayr reported from ‘Ā’ishah that she took Hafsah bint ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Abu Bakr As-Siddīq into her house when she was in her third period
‘Urwah ibn Az-Zubayr reported from ‘Ā’ishah that she took Hafsah bint ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Abu Bakr As-Siddīq into her house when she was in her third period. Ibn Shihāb said: "That was mentioned to ‘Amrah bint ‘Abdur-Rahmān, and she said that ‘Urwah had spoken the truth, and people had argued with ‘Ā’ishah about it. They said that Allah, the Exalted, says in His Book: {Waiting for three menstrual periods} [Sūrat al-Baqarah: 228]. ‘Ā’ishah said: 'You spoke the truth. Do you know what menstrual periods are? They are the three times of becoming pure after menstruation.'"
A slave has two counts of divorce to discharge toward his free wife, who shall observe a waiting period of three menstrual cycles. A free man has two counts of divorce to discharge toward his slave wife, who shall observe a waiting period of two menstrual cycles
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "A slave has two counts of divorce to discharge toward his free wife, who shall observe a waiting period of three menstrual cycles. A free man has two counts of divorce to discharge toward his slave wife, who shall observe a waiting period of two menstrual cycles."
A woman whose husband is missing and whose whereabouts is unknown to her must wait for four years and then observe the ‘Iddah (of a widow) for four months and ten days. After that, she is allowed to marry
‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “A woman whose husband is missing and whose whereabouts is unknown to her must wait for four years and then observe the ‘Iddah (of a widow) for four months and ten days. After that, she is allowed to marry.”
There should be no sexual intercourse with a pregnant woman until she gives birth, nor with a non-pregnant woman until she has one menstrual cycle
Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the female captives of Awtās: ''There should be no sexual intercourse with a pregnant woman until she gives birth, nor with a non-pregnant woman until she has one menstrual cycle."