Chapter on the Waiting Period (ʿiddah)

The word ʿiddah, with a short i (kasrah) on the ʿayn, derives from ʿadad (number) because its days are precisely counted.

It is the span, fixed by the Sacred Law, during which a woman must refrain from remarriage after being separated from her husband. Its basis lies in the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the unanimous agreement of the scholars.

From the Qur’an: “Divorced women shall wait by themselves…” (Q 2:228) and other verses.

From the Sunnah: the texts are very numerous, among them the report cited earlier in which the Prophet ﷺ instructed Fāṭimah “to observe her ʿiddah in the house of Umm Shurayk.”

The scholars have reached consensus on the obligation of the ʿiddah, relying on these many Qur’anic and prophetic texts.

Allah has instituted this waiting period for weighty reasons and profound wisdoms, which differ according to the woman’s particular circumstance.

• One purpose is to verify that the womb is free of pregnancy, so that the fluids of two men do not mingle in a single womb and lineage become confused, for such confusion would breed grave harm and corruption.

• Another is to magnify the seriousness of the marriage contract, elevate its rank, and manifest its honor.

• Yet another is to extend the window for a husband who has issued a revocable divorce; he may regret his action, and the lengthened period allows him time to take his wife back. This wisdom is evident in the ʿiddah of a revocable divorcee, and the Qur’an alludes to it: “You do not know; perhaps Allah will bring about, after that, a new matter” (Q 65:1).

• It also grants the deceased husband his due and gives the widow space to show her grief at his loss.

The ʿiddah contains still other benefits—toward the husband, the wife, the child, and, before all else, toward Allah through obeying His command. Simply following His orders is itself a sublime secret of His law. Allah alone grants success.

Subayʿah al-Aslamiyyah reported that she had been married to Saʿd ibn Khawlah—of Banū ʿĀmir ibn Lu’ayy and one of those who fought at Badr—who died during the Farewell Pilgrimage while she was pregnant. Not long after his death she gave birth. When she had cleansed herself of her post-natal bleeding, she adorned herself for suitors.

Abū al-Sanābil ibn Baʿkkak, a man of Banū ʿAbd al-Dār, entered upon her and said, “Why do I see you beautifying yourself? Perhaps you are hoping to marry? By Allah, you may not marry until four months and ten nights have passed over you.”