For this reason, those who require it have disagreed: should the waiting period be one month, a month and a half, two months, or three months? All these opinions are weak.

Ibn ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, did not require a waiting period for a virgin, and no Companion is known to have disagreed with him. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, only commanded such a waiting period for women taken captive, as he said concerning the captives of Awtās:

“No pregnant woman is to be approached sexually until she gives birth, nor any woman who is not pregnant until she has undergone a waiting period of one menstrual cycle.”

He did not command everyone who inherited or purchased a slave woman to have her undergo such a waiting period, although this occurred during his lifetime. It is therefore clear that he commanded the waiting period when her condition was unknown, because she might be pregnant. The same applies to an acquired slave woman whose previous master had been having intercourse with her and had not had her undergo a waiting period. However, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not mention such a case, because the Muslims did not do this. No one would consider it acceptable to sell his slave woman while she was pregnant by him. Indeed, if he had had intercourse with her, he would not sell her until she had undergone a waiting period, so the buyer would not need a second one.

For this reason, he did not prohibit intercourse with slave women pregnant by their masters when acquired through sale or gift, because this did not occur. Rather, this case was covered by his prohibition, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, against “a man watering another man’s crop with his own fluid.”

Allah Most High says:

“The father must provide for them and clothe them in a reasonable manner.”

And He, Most High, says in that verse:

“If they breastfeed for you, give them their payment.”

This indicates that this payment consists of their reasonable provision and clothing when no amount has been specified between them