Overall meaning:
In this ḥadith the Prophet ﷺ forbade a woman to observe mourning (iḥdād) for any deceased person longer than three days, because three days are sufficient to fulfil the rights of one’s relative and to ease the sorrowing soul. The only exception is when the deceased is her husband; then she must mourn him for four months and ten nights, both in acknowledgment of his great right over her and as a safeguard during her waiting-period.

The outward practice of iḥdād is to forgo all adornment: perfume, kohl, jewellery and attractive garments. None of these may be used.

Clothes that are dyed for a purpose other than adornment are permissible, whatever their colour may be.

Likewise, after she becomes pure, she may place in her private part a small piece of a substance that removes unpleasant odour; this is not perfume intended for adornment in an area that is not meant to be adorned.

Points derived from the ḥadith:

1. It is forbidden for a woman to mourn anyone other than her husband for more than three days.
2. Mourning for three days or less is permitted as a means of relieving grief.
3. A woman must mourn her husband for four months and ten nights, unless she is pregnant, in which case her waiting-period ends upon delivery, as discussed earlier.
4. Iḥdād means abstaining from adornment and from anything that might invite someone to marry her. Therefore she must avoid all jewellery, perfume, kohl and any clothing that makes her conspicuous, whatever its type or colour.
5. She may wear a dyed garment that is not meant for adornment. What counts as embellishment or its opposite is determined by the custom of each time and place; such matters are a question of taste and are not confined to a specific kind of dress or appearance. Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah said: “A widow in her waiting-period remains for four months and ten nights; she avoids adornment and perfume on her body and clothes and stays in her house. She should not go out by day except for a need, nor by night except for a necessity. She is not to wear jewellery or apply henna or anything similar. No lawful form of work is forbidden to her, and everything that is permissible outside the waiting-period remains permissible to her, such as speaking to men she needs to speak to, provided she is properly concealed. This is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and it is what the women of the Companions practised when their husbands died.”
6. After purification it is permissible for her to insert into her private part a small substance resembling perfume solely to eliminate any unpleasant smell.