Iddah

In Islam, "iddah" or "iddat" (Arabic: العدة; "period of waiting") is a period after a divorce, during which a woman may not marry another man. The period is calculated on the number of menses a woman has, usually three. Historically, "iddah" was required to ensure that a male could know of any offspring produced after the cessation of a nikah, and be certain as to the parentage.

Qur'an prohibits widows to engage themselves for four lunar months and ten days, after the death of their husbands. ["And those of you who die and leave widows behind, they should keep themselves in waiting for four months and ten days. Then when they have fulfilled their term, there is no blame on you about what they do with themselves in accordance with the norms [of society] . And Allah is well acquainted with what you do. And there is also no blame on you if you tacitly send a marriage proposal to these women or hold it in your hearts. Allah knows that you would definitely talk to them. [Do so] but do not make a secret contract. Of course you can say something in accordance with the norms [of the society] . And do not decide to marry until the law reaches its term. And know that Allah has knowledge of what is in your hearts; so be fearful of Him and know that Allah is Most forgiving and Most Forbearing." Quran-usc-range|2|234|235] Islamic scholars consider this directive a balance between mourning of husband's death and protection of widow from censure that she became interested in re-marrying soon after her husband’s death. [Amin Ahsan Islahi, Tadabbur-i-Quran, 2nd ed., vol. 1, (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), p. 546] This is also to ascertain whether a woman is pregnant or not, as four and a half months is half the length of a normal pregnancy. [Shehzad Saleem. " [http://www.renaissance.com.pk/Marislaw2y4.html The Social Directives of Islam: Distinctive Aspects of Ghamidi’s Interpretation] ", Renaissance. March, 2004.]

Husbands should make a will in favor of their wives for the provision of one year’s residence and maintenance, except if the wives themselves leave the house or take any other similar step. ["And those of you who die and leave widows should bequeath for their widows a year’s provision and [bequeath] that [in this period] they shall not be turned out of their residences; but if they themselves leave the residence, there is no blame on you for what they do with themselves according to the norms of society. And Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise." Quran-usc|2|240]

The Qur'anic verse relating to the period of "iddah" is:

:"Al Baqarah" 2:234 If any of you die and leave widows behind, they shall wait concerning themselves four months and ten days: When they have fulfilled their term, there is no blame on you if they dispose of themselves in a just and reasonable manner. And Allah is well acquainted with what ye do. ("Yusuf Ali")

The directive of the Qur'an regarding the waiting period of a widow, are as under:

:Whoever from amongst you dies and leaves behind wives, the wives will hold themselves [from marriage] for four months and ten days. Then, when they have expired this period, there is no blame upon you in whatever they do regarding themselves, according to the recognized traditions. And God is fully aware of whatever you are doing. And there is no blame upon you in proposing [marriage] to these women or in keeping such proposal to yourself - God is aware that you would mention it to them - but do not make with them any secret commitments, except that you say a noble word to them. However, do not commit the marriage-contract with them, until the law has reached its prescribed time... ("Al-Baqarah 2: 234 - 235")

The following is a summary of the main directives entailed in these verses:

# The waiting period (Iddah) of a widow is four months and ten days;
# During this period, the woman is not to marry another husband;
# During this period, a person may declare his intentions of marrying the widow - in a socially acceptable manner - or he may keep such intentions to himself, yet he should not make a secret commitment of marriage with the widow; and
# The time and place of the marriage-contract should be finalized and committed to only after the period of four months and ten days has expired.

These are the basic directives of the Sharia regarding the waiting period of a widow. It is also clear from another directive of the Qur'an that during this waiting period, the woman should not be turned out of her house.

Comparing this waiting period with the one prescribed for a divorced woman (i.e. three menstrual periods of the divorced woman), we see that the waiting period prescribed for a widow exceeds that, which is prescribed for a divorced woman by at least a month and a half. It is also clear from the stipulations of the Qur'an that the prescription of the waiting period for a divorced woman is with the basic purpose of ascertaining her condition with reference to pregnancy as well as to provide the divorcing couple adequate time to review and, if possible, to revise their decision. Thus, in view of the increased prescription of waiting period in the case of a widow, it seems that the waiting period prescribed for a widow entails other purposes, besides merely ascertaining the woman's position with reference to pregnancy. The Muslim jurists and thinkers have generally construed this additional purpose entailed in the prescription of the waiting period for widows to be that of the widow's 'mourning' her deceased husband. The understanding of the Muslim jurists and thinkers seems to be quite logical and in consonance with sayings ascribed to the Prophet. However, it seems important to add that the prescription of a specified 'waiting' or 'mourning' period is for the purpose of safeguarding the woman against defamation, slander and ill-repute in society. It is specifically for this purpose that others are directed against making a 'secret' commitment of marriage with the widow or deciding about the time and place of the marriage-contract, during the prescribed period. It is reported that Muhammad advised widows to be extra modest in their appearance and to even refrain from wearing any fragrance, during this period. All these directives and advice seem to point to the fact that a woman should not only be, but also appear to be in a state of mourning, so that her social circles do not get a chance to say a negative word about her.

No other restrictions apply to a widow during her waiting period.

The Dawooda Bohra community, however, places further restrictions among widows observing iddat. Some of the restrictions are:

1. No contact with any males who are not the widow's blood relatives. This includes visual contact as well.2. The Bohri widow is not allowed to see the outside world through media forms such as the television, radio, and print. 3. She is prohibited from looking outside the window. In fact, rooms in which Bohri women observe iddat have black cloth covering all windows from the outside world.

The origins of these practices by the Dawoodi Bohras have no roots in the Holy Quran. Neither is there any proof that such strict measures were carried out during the time of the Prophet Muhammed.

ee also

*Niddah

References