What are the rules and requirements of Iddah?
Mu
As Salaam Aleikum wa
Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah
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What are the requirements & obligations of the women regarding Iddah-is it obligatory & what rules are observed? is it mentioned in Quran? do all Muslims follow it?
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Answer:
What are the rules and requirements of Iddah?
In the name of Allah, We praise
Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can
misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We
bear witness that there is no one (no idol,
no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad
(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
There are two types of ‘iddah’ or waiting period ordained by Allah Subhanah on the believing woman, and both are the
commandments of Allah Subhanah in the Holy Quran.
The iddah
or waiting period after the death of her husband
The iddah or waiting period after a divorce.
We assume you are enquiring
about the ‘iddah’ or waiting period of the believing
woman after the death of her husband and will, Insha
Allah, try to address it in this article.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 234 (part):If those
of you who die and leave wives behind, they should abstain (from marriage) for
a period of four months and ten days.
Then, when their waiting term expires, they are free to do whatever they
choose for themselves, provided that it is decent; you shall not be answerable
for this. Allah is fully aware of what
all of you do.
The above waiting period of
mourning of four months and ten days is an obligatory duty on every believing
woman whose husband dies, and it is definitely a practice of all
the believing woman, who sincerely believe in Allah and the Last
Day. There is slight exception for a
widow who is pregnant at the time of the death of her husband… her waiting
period or iddah is until she delivers the baby… be it
the next day or until after nine months!
The rules for observing this
waiting period or ‘iddah’ and period of mourning are
as follows:
The widow should not wear
fashionable or attractive clothing; neither apply
perfume; nor apply make-up, etc. She
must be dressed in plain, simple and humble clothing for the period of the ‘iddah’.
She should not leave the house
unless there is an emergency or a basic need, which no one can do for her. Example:
she may go to a hospital if ill, or she may go out to get her food and
necessities if there is no one to get it for her, etc.
She should be in a genuine state
of mourning, remember Allah much, and pray and supplicate Allah Subhanah for her deceased partner and herself.
There is no particular clothing,
or a particular color of clothing that she needs to wear like only black, or
only white, etc. Any basic, simple,
humble and plain clothing will suffice.
Neither is there any restriction that she cannot see the moon, or the
mirror, etc. which
some people try to enforce on the widow in the name of Islam. These have absolutely no basis or evidence
from the guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws).
Whatever written of
Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever
of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows
Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in Islam,
Burhan
Wister