- Spending the night anywhere other than the house in which her husband passed away while she was living there; she may not leave it unless she has a legitimate Shar‘i excuse. She is not to go out to visit a sick person, nor to call on a friend or relative. She may, however, leave the house during the daytime for necessities. Other than these five matters, she is not barred from anything that Allah has permitted.
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim says in al-Hady al-Nabawi (5/507): “She is not forbidden to trim her nails, pluck the underarm hair, shave the hair that is recommended to shave, or to bathe with lote-leaf and comb her hair with it.” End quote.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah states in Majmuʿ al-Fatāwā (34/27, 28): “She may eat whatever Allah has made lawful, such as fruit and meat, and likewise drink any permissible beverage.” He then adds: “Nor is she prohibited from undertaking any permissible work, such as embroidery, sewing, spinning, and the like—things women customarily do. She may enjoy everything else that is lawful for her outside the waiting period, such as speaking to men she needs to speak with, provided she is properly covered, and so forth. What I have mentioned is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, practiced by the women of the Companions when their husbands died.” End quote.
As for what common folk say—that she must hide her face from the moon, must not go up to the roof, must not speak to men, or must veil her face even from her unmarriageable kin—none of this has any basis. Allah knows best.