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Is the waiting period (iddah) obligatory for a divorced woman who returned to her family's home, and whose husband had not touched her for 10 months?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The waiting period (iddah) for a divorced woman with whom consummation has occurred: If she is pregnant, her iddah is until she delivers her child, based on the words of Allah the Almighty: "And for those who are pregnant, their term is until they deliver their burden." (Quran 65:4). If she is not pregnant: then either she is of menstruating age, in which case her iddah is three menstrual cycles (quru'), based on the words of Allah the Almighty: "And divorced women shall wait by themselves for three menstrual cycles." (Quran 2:228). Or she has despaired of menstruation or has not menstruated, in which case her iddah is three months. Allah the Almighty said: "And those of your women who have despaired of menstruation – if you have doubts – then their iddah is three months, and [for] those who have not menstruated." (Quran 65:4). If the divorce occurred ten months after the separation of the spouses, it is presumed that the iddah has ended.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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