❖ ʿIddah for a Pregnant Woman After Husband’s Death ❖
This ruling is taken from the book “500 Questions and Answers for Women,” based on the fatwas of the Scholars of the Haramain, translated by Hafiz Abdullah Saleem.
A questioner asks: His father has passed away and his wife (the questioner's stepmother) is pregnant. Should she observe ʿiddah (waiting period) for four months and ten days, or until the child is delivered?
After reviewing all aspects of the case, the Fatwa Committee issued the ruling that:
The ʿiddah of a pregnant woman whose husband has passed away extends until she delivers the child.
This is based on the clear statement of Allah ﷻ in the Qur’an:
وَأُوْلَاتُ الْأَحْمَالِ أَجَلُهُنَّ أَنْ يَضَعْنَ حَمْلَهُنَّ
“And those who are pregnant—their term is until they deliver their burden.”
[Surah al-Ṭalāq 65:4]
This applies regardless of whether the delivery occurs before or after the completion of four months and ten days.
وَاللهُ وَلِيُّ التَّوْفِيق، وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وآله وصحبه وسلم
(Dār al-Iftāʾ Committee)
This ruling is taken from the book “500 Questions and Answers for Women,” based on the fatwas of the Scholars of the Haramain, translated by Hafiz Abdullah Saleem.
❖ Question:
A questioner asks: His father has passed away and his wife (the questioner's stepmother) is pregnant. Should she observe ʿiddah (waiting period) for four months and ten days, or until the child is delivered?
❖ Answer:
After reviewing all aspects of the case, the Fatwa Committee issued the ruling that:
The ʿiddah of a pregnant woman whose husband has passed away extends until she delivers the child.
This is based on the clear statement of Allah ﷻ in the Qur’an:
وَأُوْلَاتُ الْأَحْمَالِ أَجَلُهُنَّ أَنْ يَضَعْنَ حَمْلَهُنَّ
“And those who are pregnant—their term is until they deliver their burden.”
[Surah al-Ṭalāq 65:4]
This applies regardless of whether the delivery occurs before or after the completion of four months and ten days.
وَاللهُ وَلِيُّ التَّوْفِيق، وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وآله وصحبه وسلم
(Dār al-Iftāʾ Committee)
