Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Hazrat Musa bin Abi Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) says that I asked Hazrat Saeed bin Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him), "How long is the waiting period (‘iddah) for the wife of an apostate?" He replied, "Three menstrual cycles." I asked, "If he is killed, then?" He replied, "Four months and ten days."

Hazrat Sha’bi (may Allah have mercy on him) and Hazrat Hakam (may Allah have mercy on him) say that if a Muslim becomes an apostate and goes to the land of the disbelievers, then his wife, if she menstruates, will observe an ‘iddah of three menstrual cycles, and if she does not menstruate, then three months. If she is pregnant, her ‘iddah is until childbirth. After that, she may marry if she wishes. If her husband returns and repents before the completion of the ‘iddah, their marriage will remain intact.

Hazrat Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) says that if a person becomes an apostate, his wife will receive one irrevocable divorce. He will not have the right to return to his wife, and the woman will observe the waiting period (iddah) of a divorced woman.

Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) said that as long as the woman is in her waiting period (‘iddah), he has more right to her; if he takes her back during the ‘iddah, she will remain his wife. Abu Ma’shar (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote the same thing to Abdul Hamid ibn Abdur Rahman regarding the apostate.