—and the answer is that this becomes clear only after one recognizes the wisdom for which the waiting period (ʿiddah) was ordained. It was legislated for several reasons:
• to establish with certainty that the womb is free of pregnancy;
• to underscore the gravity of the marital bond;
• to extend the window during which the husband may revoke the divorce, for he may come to regret it;
• to safeguard the husband’s right, secure the wife’s welfare, preserve the child’s right, and fulfill the duty owed to Allah.
Thus, four distinct rights converge in the waiting period: the right of Allah, the right of the husband, the right of the wife, and the right of the child.
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The purport of the hadith is that a woman in mourning (the muḥaddah) does not leave her home for the entire duration of her ʿiddah and mourning. This is how the Companions understood their Lord’s rulings, and it is why the relative of the divorced woman sought to prevent her from going out.
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A divorced woman may, however, leave the house when a need arises—such as tending her property’s yield: cutting fruit, harvesting crops, collecting rents, and the like.
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It is recommended for anyone who owns dates he is cutting or gathering, or crops he is harvesting, to give a portion of them in charity and show kindness to those in need. This is above and beyond the obligatory zakah; it is an act of benevolence to which people’s hearts are naturally inclined and for which the poor eagerly wait. Denying them this kindness wounds their spirits and plants resentment and enmity toward the wealthy.
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One should consult learned scholars about matters of knowledge in which lay people are quick to issue verdicts without any Sharīʿah evidence.