What should a married woman do who has received news of the death of her imprisoned husband—and she is not sure of the accuracy of the news—and is the 'iddah (waiting period) obligatory upon her?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If a woman receives news of her husband's death through a doubtful channel, she should not observe the ' (waiting period), and his death is not confirmed except with clear evidence, because the default assumption is that life persists. However, if she is certain of the news' authenticity, then she must observe the 'iddah. If a trustworthy person informs her of her husband's death, she is permitted to remarry in what is between her and Allah. If the wife is harmed by her husband's absence, she may refer the matter to a judge to separate them.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/167518
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 167518
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy