❖ Delaying ʿIddah and Mourning Without Sharʿī Excuse ❖
This writing is excerpted from the book “500 Questions and Answers for Women” based on the Fatwas of the Scholars of the Haramain, translated by Hafiz Abdullah Saleem.
I am a 40-year-old married woman and mother of five. My husband passed away on 12th May 1985, but I did not observe ʿiddah at that time due to being occupied with matters concerning my late husband and children. Exactly four months later, on 12th September 1985, I began observing ʿiddah. However, one month later, I was again forced to leave the house due to certain necessities.
Is this one month of ʿiddah counted?
And is it correct to delay ʿiddah for four months after the husband's death?
Note: I had no one trustworthy at home to handle household matters on my behalf.
Your action of delaying the ʿiddah is a prohibited (ḥarām) act.
The moment a husband passes away, it becomes obligatory upon the wife to immediately begin her ʿiddah and mourning period.
There is no allowance in Shariʿah to delay this obligation for any worldly reason.
﴿وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا...﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 234]
“And those among you who die and leave behind wives—they shall wait concerning themselves for four months and ten days.”
➤ The one month that you observed after the four-month delay will not count as valid ʿiddah.
➤ There is no recompensation for a missed ʿiddah.
➤ You must seek forgiveness and avoid such errors in the future.
(Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn – ḥafiẓahullāh)
This writing is excerpted 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:
I am a 40-year-old married woman and mother of five. My husband passed away on 12th May 1985, but I did not observe ʿiddah at that time due to being occupied with matters concerning my late husband and children. Exactly four months later, on 12th September 1985, I began observing ʿiddah. However, one month later, I was again forced to leave the house due to certain necessities.
Is this one month of ʿiddah counted?
And is it correct to delay ʿiddah for four months after the husband's death?
Note: I had no one trustworthy at home to handle household matters on my behalf.
❖ Answer:
Your action of delaying the ʿiddah is a prohibited (ḥarām) act.
The moment a husband passes away, it becomes obligatory upon the wife to immediately begin her ʿiddah and mourning period.
There is no allowance in Shariʿah to delay this obligation for any worldly reason.
❖ Evidence from the Qur’an:
﴿وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا...﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 234]
“And those among you who die and leave behind wives—they shall wait concerning themselves for four months and ten days.”
❖ Clarification:
- Your decision to delay ʿiddah for four months and then observe it afterward is a sin and a violation of the command of Allah.
- You must repent (tawbah) sincerely to Allah and engage in righteous deeds in abundance.
- It is not permissible to make up (qaḍāʾ) a missed ʿiddah once its valid time frame has passed.
❖ Ruling:
➤ The one month that you observed after the four-month delay will not count as valid ʿiddah.
➤ There is no recompensation for a missed ʿiddah.
➤ You must seek forgiveness and avoid such errors in the future.
(Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn – ḥafiẓahullāh)
