Points Derived from the Hadith

1. A widow is obliged to observe iḥdād (mourning abstinence) for four months and ten nights.

2. Throughout this period she must avoid every form of adornment—clothing, perfume, jewelry, kohl, and the like. This includes the modern cosmetics and dyes that have recently fascinated people, such as face powder, nail polish, and all similar products. In short, every manifestation of beauty that might draw desire toward a woman is prohibited.

3. She must refrain from kohl that beautifies the eyes even when she feels a need for it. Medical treatment, however, is allowed so long as it carries no element of adornment—medicinal kohl that leaves no visible trace, eyedrops, and the like. The determining factor is whether it constitutes beautification.

4. The hadith showcases the ease and graciousness of the Sharia, which lightened the oppressive burdens of the pre-Islamic era. In those days a woman endured confinement, hardship, and severe trial for a full year after her husband’s death. Allah, Exalted is He, reduced that span to roughly one-third of the time and removed the affliction that beset the poor widow. He permitted her to maintain cleanliness of her body, clothing, and home, and allowed her to mingle with her relatives and other women in her house, while still safeguarding the husband’s right by requiring her to abstain from public adornment that might attract suitors during the period that belongs to him. Allah is All-Wise, All-Knowing.