whether it occurs before or after four months and ten days have elapsed. The correct view is that her waiting period ends upon delivery, whether the period is long or short.

His statement: “that by which a slave woman becomes an umm walad”—that is, the waiting period ends upon the delivery of that by which a slave woman becomes an umm walad. A slave woman becomes an umm walad when she delivers something in which the form of a human being is discernible: its limbs, hands, feet, and head have become apparent. Mere lines are of no consequence, for, by Allah’s permission, lines may be seen even while it is still an embryonic clot. Rather, what matters is distinct formation: when its head can be recognized and its feet and hands have become apparent, then, upon delivery, the waiting period ends.

But if she delivers something in which the form of a human being is not discernible, that delivery carries no legal weight. It must be formed, because an unformed lump of flesh may possibly be a human being or may possibly be merely a piece of flesh, and no ruling is established on the basis of uncertainty. Thus, if she is divorced, she observes her waiting period by menstruation; and if her husband has died, she observes four months and ten days.

His statement: “that by which a slave woman becomes an umm walad”—why did he not say, “upon the delivery of the entire pregnancy, if it is formed,” when this would be easier to understand than saying, “that by which a slave woman becomes an umm walad”? The answer is as follows:

First: the jurists transmit established expressions among themselves. One finds that the first person used this expression, and people thereafter followed him.

Second: so that the various branches of knowledge may be connected to one another. When you read, “that by which a slave woman becomes an umm walad,” you must refer back to what makes a slave woman an umm walad; thus, the branches of knowledge become interconnected.