Could you please clarify the waiting period (iddah) for a divorced woman?
A woman who is divorced before consummation and seclusion has no iddah (waiting period), and her divorce becomes effective immediately. However, after consummation and seclusion, her iddah is as follows:
For a pregnant woman: Her iddah is until she gives birth.
For a non-pregnant woman who menstruates: Her iddah is three complete menstrual cycles.
For a woman who does not menstruate due to young age or old age: Her iddah is three months.
For a woman whose menstruation has ceased due to a reason from which it will not return, such as menopause: Her iddah is three months.
For a woman whose menstruation has ceased due to a known reason: She waits for the reason to cease and menstruation to return.
For a woman whose menstruation has ceased and the reason is unknown: She observes a full year of iddah, nine months for potential pregnancy and three months for the iddah.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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