صحيح البخاري
Bukhari
كتاب الطلاقThe Book of Divorce
بَابُ تُحِدُّ الْمُتَوَفَّى عَنْهَا زَوْجُهَا أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا:Chapter. A widow should mourn for four months and ten days.
Hadith 5337
اُردوEn
قَالَ حُمَيْدٌ فَقُلْتُ لِزَيْنَبَ وَمَا تَرْمِي بِالْبَعَرَةِ عَلَى رَأْسِ الْحَوْلِ فَقَالَتْ زَيْنَبُ كَانَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ إِذَا تُوُفِّيَ عَنْهَا زَوْجُهَا دَخَلَتْ حِفْشًا، وَلَبِسَتْ شَرَّ ثِيَابِهَا، وَلَمْ تَمَسَّ طِيبًا حَتَّى تَمُرَّ بِهَا سَنَةٌ، ثُمَّ تُؤْتَى بِدَابَّةٍ حِمَارٍ أَوْ شَاةٍ أَوْ طَائِرٍ فَتَفْتَضُّ بِهِ، فَقَلَّمَا تَفْتَضُّ بِشَيْءٍ إِلاَّ مَاتَ، ثُمَّ تَخْرُجُ فَتُعْطَى بَعَرَةً فَتَرْمِي، ثُمَّ تُرَاجِعُ بَعْدُ مَا شَاءَتْ مِنْ طِيبٍ أَوْ غَيْرِهِ. سُئِلَ مَالِكٌ مَا تَفْتَضُّ بِهِ قَالَ تَمْسَحُ بِهِ جِلْدَهَا.
I (Humaid) said to Zainab, "What does 'throwing a globe of dung when one year had elapsed' mean?" Zainab said, "When a lady was bereaved of her husband, she would live in a wretched small room and put on the worst clothes she had and would not touch any scent till one year had elapsed. Then she would bring an animal, e.g. a donkey, a sheep or a bird and rub her body against it. The animal against which she would rub her body would scarcely survive. Only then she would come out of her room, whereupon she would be given a globe of dung which she would throw away and then she would use the scent she liked or the like."
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
(1)
In the era of ignorance (Jahiliyyah), when a woman's husband would pass away, she would observe her waiting period (‘iddah) for a year and would spend these days in an extremely deplorable manner, as described in the hadith. There is also an indication of this in the Noble Qur’an:
“And those who are taken in death among you and leave wives behind—they (the husbands) should make a bequest for their wives of maintenance for a year without turning them out.” ()
Then, regarding them, another ruling was revealed that they should complete their waiting period (‘iddah) for four months and ten days.
Allah, the Exalted, says:
“And those of you who die and leave wives behind, they (the wives) shall wait by themselves for four months and ten days.” ()
This is in the case when the wife is not pregnant; if she is pregnant, then her waiting period (‘iddah) is until she gives birth, as has been mentioned earlier.
The wisdom in observing a waiting period of four months and ten days is that the creation of a child in the womb and the blowing of the soul into it occurs after one hundred and twenty days, which makes four months. Since there can be a difference due to the lunar month being shorter or longer, ten days are added to this number to compensate for that deficiency.
(Fath al-Bari: 9/603)
(2)
During the waiting period (‘iddah), she will not adorn herself, as is mentioned in a hadith:
“During the period of ‘iddah, she should not wear colored clothing, but she may wear garments made of dyed thread; she should not apply kohl (surma) and should not use perfume.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Divorce, Hadith: 5341)
In another narration, it is mentioned that she should not apply henna.
(Sunan Abi Dawud, Book of Divorce, Hadith: 2302)
In Sunan al-Nasa’i, it is mentioned that she should not comb her hair.
(Sunan al-Nasa’i, Book of Divorce, Hadith: 3564)
Other than this woman, i.e., for other women such as the divorced woman, there is a waiting period (‘iddah), but there is no obligation of mourning (sorrowful abstention from adornment).
(1)
In the era of ignorance (Jahiliyyah), when a woman's husband would pass away, she would observe her waiting period (‘iddah) for a year and would spend these days in an extremely deplorable manner, as described in the hadith. There is also an indication of this in the Noble Qur’an:
“And those who are taken in death among you and leave wives behind—they (the husbands) should make a bequest for their wives of maintenance for a year without turning them out.” ()
Then, regarding them, another ruling was revealed that they should complete their waiting period (‘iddah) for four months and ten days.
Allah, the Exalted, says:
“And those of you who die and leave wives behind, they (the wives) shall wait by themselves for four months and ten days.” ()
This is in the case when the wife is not pregnant; if she is pregnant, then her waiting period (‘iddah) is until she gives birth, as has been mentioned earlier.
The wisdom in observing a waiting period of four months and ten days is that the creation of a child in the womb and the blowing of the soul into it occurs after one hundred and twenty days, which makes four months. Since there can be a difference due to the lunar month being shorter or longer, ten days are added to this number to compensate for that deficiency.
(Fath al-Bari: 9/603)
(2)
During the waiting period (‘iddah), she will not adorn herself, as is mentioned in a hadith:
“During the period of ‘iddah, she should not wear colored clothing, but she may wear garments made of dyed thread; she should not apply kohl (surma) and should not use perfume.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Divorce, Hadith: 5341)
In another narration, it is mentioned that she should not apply henna.
(Sunan Abi Dawud, Book of Divorce, Hadith: 2302)
In Sunan al-Nasa’i, it is mentioned that she should not comb her hair.
(Sunan al-Nasa’i, Book of Divorce, Hadith: 3564)
Other than this woman, i.e., for other women such as the divorced woman, there is a waiting period (‘iddah), but there is no obligation of mourning (sorrowful abstention from adornment).
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 5337
