the Lord and His decrees. In His wisdom, God abolished that pre-Islamic practice and substituted for it patient endurance and thankful acceptance.

Because the calamity of death unavoidably stirs in the bereaved a measure of anxiety, pain, and sorrow—feelings demanded by human nature—the All-Wise, All-Aware Legislator permitted a small amount of such mourning for those other than a wife: three days only. During that brief interval she finds a degree of relief and is able to discharge some of her grief; anything beyond that produces greater harm, and so it was prohibited.

In sum, women are allowed to observe iḥdād (formal mourning) for their dead for three days. Mourning for a deceased husband, however, is linked to the length of the waiting period (ʿiddah) that is calculated in months. As for a pregnant widow, once her pregnancy ends the obligation of iḥdād lapses. Ibn al-Qayyim noted that the mourning continues until delivery because it is one of the accessories of the ʿiddah; hence it is confined to its duration. It is a ruling that belongs to the waiting period and one of its duties, existing and ending in tandem with it.

He goes on to say: “Iḥdād is one of the necessary implications and complements of the ʿiddah. A woman adorns herself only to endear herself to her husband; if he dies and she has not yet joined herself to another, then complete regard for the first husband’s right, coupled with reinforcing the ban on a second until the prescribed term is reached, requires that she be prevented from whatever women ordinarily do for their husbands. In addition, this blocks the means to her desiring men and men desiring her through adornment.” End of his words, may Allah have mercy on him.

Therefore, a widow observing her waiting period must refrain from beautifying her body with dyes, henna, and similar enhancements, and she must avoid wearing