A woman's mourning for her husband

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A woman may not mourn for anyone other than her husband for more than three days."

Sayyidah Umm Salamah and Sayyidah Umm Habibah (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrate that a woman once came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said that the husband of a daughter of hers had died. Her eye was afflicted, and she wished to apply kohl. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "One of you used to throw a piece of camel dung at the completion of a year; now the waiting period is only four months and ten days."

Humayd (the narrator) (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I asked Sayyidah Zaynab bint Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her): What is meant by throwing camel dung? She said: In the time of Jahiliyyah, after her husband's death a woman would go and sit in the worst room she had and stay there for a year. When the year was complete, she would come out and throw a piece of camel dung behind her.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn for anyone other than her husband for more than three days."

It is narrated from Sayyidah Umm Atiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is not permissible to mourn for any dead person for more than three days, except that a woman shall mourn her husband for four months and ten days. She shall not wear dyed clothing, except that she may wear a garment of 'asb cloth. She shall not apply kohl nor use perfume, except that when she nears her purification she may use a little of the perfumes qust and azfar."

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The woman whose husband dies shall observe a waiting period of four months and ten days. A man said: "This is a lot." Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "In the Jahiliyyah, women used to mourn for even longer than this."

Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) and Sayyidah Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day may not mourn for any dead person for more than three days, except for her husband; for him she shall mourn for four months and ten days."