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Contract · Mahr Marriage in Islam Misyar · Halala · Urfi Nikah mut‘ah Polygyny · Divorce · Iddah Ma malakat aymanukum Adoption |
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In Islam, iddah or iddat (Arabic: العدة; period of waiting) is the period a woman must observe after the death of her spouse or after a divorce, during which she may not marry another man.[1] The period, three months after a divorce and four months and ten days after the death of a spouse, is calculated on the number of menses that a woman has. Iddah was intended to ensure that the male parent of any offspring produced after the cessation of a nikah would be known.
Qur'an prohibits widows to engage themselves for four lunar months and ten days after the death of their husbands.[2] Islamic scholars consider this directive to be a balance between mourning of husband's death and protecting the widow from criticism that she might be subjected to from re-marrying too quickly after her husband’s death.[3] This is also to ascertain whether a woman is pregnant or not, since four and a half months is half the length of a normal pregnancy.[4]
Husbands should make a will in favor of their wives for the provision of one year’s residence and maintenance, unless the wives themselves leave the house or take any other similar step.[5]
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The Qur'anic verse relating to the period of iddah is:
The directive of the Qur'an regarding the waiting period of a widow, are as unde
The following is a summary of the main directives entailed in these verses:
These are the basic directives of the Sharia regarding the waiting period of a widow. It is also clear from another directive of the Qur'an that during this waiting period, the woman should not be turned out of her house.
Comparing this waiting period with the one prescribed for a divorced woman (three menstrual periods of the divorced woman), one sees that the waiting period prescribed for a widow exceeds that, which is prescribed for a divorced woman by at least a month and a half. It is also clear from the stipulations of the Qur'an that the prescription of the waiting period for a divorced woman is with the basic purpose of ascertaining her condition with reference to pregnancy as well as to provide the divorcing couple adequate time to review and, if possible, to revise their decision. Thus, in view of the increased prescription of waiting period in the case of a widow, it seems that the waiting period prescribed for a widow entails other purposes, besides merely ascertaining the woman's position with reference to pregnancy.
Muslim jurists and thinkers have generally construed this additional purpose entailed in the prescription of the waiting period for widows to be that of the widow's 'mourning' her deceased husband. The understanding of the Muslim jurists and thinkers seems to be quite logical and in consonance with sayings ascribed to the Prophet. However, it seems important to add that the prescription of a specified 'waiting' or 'mourning' period is for the purpose of safeguarding the woman against defamation, slander and ill-repute in society.
It is specifically for this purpose that others are directed against making a 'secret' commitment of marriage with the widow or deciding about the time and place of the marriage-contract, during the prescribed period. It is reported that Muhammad advised widows to be extra modest in their appearance and to even refrain from wearing any fragrance, during this period. All these directives and advice seem to point to the fact that a woman should not only be but also appear to be in a state of mourning so that her social circles do not get a chance to say a negative word about her.
No other restrictions apply to a widow during her waiting period.