The waiting period of one whose menstrual periods are far apart

It is narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya bin Habban that his grandfather Habban had two wives: one from Banu Hashim and the other from the Ansar. He divorced the Ansari woman while she was nursing; a year passed over her, then he died, and she had not menstruated. The Ansari woman said: I am his heir, because I have not menstruated. The two of them took their dispute to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) decided the inheritance in her favour. The Hashimi woman blamed Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: It was your cousin who advised us of this, meaning Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Abi Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) that there was a man from the Ansar called Habban bin Munqidh. He divorced his wife while he was in good health and she was nursing his daughter. She remained for seventeen months without menstruating; the nursing was preventing her from menstruating. Then Habban fell ill seven or eight months after divorcing her. It was said to him: Your wife wants to inherit from you. He said to his family: Take me to Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). So they carried him to Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). He mentioned his wife's case to Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), and with him were Ali and Zayd bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with them both). Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said to the two of them: What is your view? They both said: "Our view is that she will inherit from him if he dies, and he will inherit from her if she dies, for she is not among those who have despaired of menstruation, nor is she among the virgins who have not reached menstruation; she then remains on the waiting period of her menstruation, whether it is short or long." Then Habban returned to his family and took his daughter (to wean her). When the nursing ended, she menstruated once, then she menstruated a second time, then Habban died before she menstruated the third time. So she observed the waiting period of a woman whose husband has died, and she inherited from him.

It is narrated from Alqamah bin Qays (may Allah have mercy on him) that he divorced his wife once or twice; then she menstruated once or twice, then her menstruation stopped for seventeen or eighteen months, then she died. He came to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked him, and he said: Allah has kept her inheritance held for you. And he made him her heir.

It is narrated from Ibn al-Musayyab (may Allah have mercy on him) that Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Any woman who is divorced and menstruates once or twice, then her menstruation stops, shall wait nine months. If a pregnancy becomes evident in her, then that is that; otherwise, after the nine months she observes a waiting period of three months, and then she becomes lawful (for marriage).