Book of Waiting Periods (1)
A woman must observe the ʿiddah (waiting period) whenever her husband dies, without exception. She must also observe it after any separation that occurs while he is alive, provided he has either consummated the marriage or been alone with her in seclusion, and he is ten lunar years of age or older.
The women who must observe a waiting period are six categories:
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A pregnant woman. Her ʿiddah—whether due to death or to some other form of separation—ends with the delivery of that which would render a slave woman an umm walad (the mother of her master’s child). The minimum length of a pregnancy is six months, the usual is nine, and the maximum is four years.
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A widow who is not carrying her husband’s child. A free woman observes four lunar months and ten days, counting their nights, whereas a slave woman observes half of that: two months and five days.
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A divorced woman who is not pregnant and who menstruates. A free woman completes three qurūʾ—that is, three menstrual cycles (2); a slave woman completes two.
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A woman who does not menstruate, either because she is too young or because she has reached menopause, when the separation occurs during the husband’s lifetime. A free woman observes three lunar months and a slave woman two. The same ruling applies to one who has reached puberty yet has never seen menstrual or post-natal bleeding (3).
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A woman whose menses have ceased and who does not know the reason. She waits nine months in case she is pregnant; thereafter a free woman observes an additional three months and a slave woman two. If she knows why the bleeding stopped—such as illness, breastfeeding, and the like—she remains in waiting until the menses return, after which she counts her ʿiddah by them; or, if she becomes menopausal, she follows the ruling for the menopausal woman.