Is ʿIddah Obligatory Upon the Wife After the Husband’s Death?
Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
Question:
Is it obligatory for a woman to observe ʿiddah after her husband’s death?
Answer:
Yes, for a widow it is obligatory (farḍ) to observe an ʿiddah of four months and ten days after her husband’s death. The Qur’an commands this. During ʿiddah, the widow must remain within the confines of her home, avoid adornment, and she is not permitted to remarry.
Allah ﷻ says:
﴿وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنْكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنْفُسِهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا فَإِذَا بَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيمَا فَعَلْنَ فِي أَنْفُسِهِنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ ﴾
(Al-Baqarah: 234)
"Those among you who die and leave wives behind, they shall wait by themselves for four months and ten days. When they have completed their term, then there is no blame upon you regarding what they do with themselves in a lawful manner. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do."
❀ ʿAllāmah al-Qurṭubī رحمه الله (d. 671H) said:
أجمع الناس على وجوب الإحداد على المتوفى عنها زوجها.
"The scholars are unanimous on the obligation of ʿiddah for a woman whose husband has passed away."
(Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī: 3/181)
