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What is the ruling of Islamic law regarding a woman whose husband has passed away continuing to wear the gold bracelets that her husband gave her, having enjoined her not to remove them throughout her life, especially given the obligation for a woman observing iddah not to wear gold?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A woman observing 'iddah (waiting period) must avoid leaving her house except out of necessity, and refrain from wearing beautiful clothes, adorning herself with jewelry, and using perfumes. These prohibitions continue throughout the 'iddah period (four months and ten days), or until a pregnant woman gives birth. The woman is not obligated to follow her husband's وصية (bequest/instruction) regarding not removing jewelry, because Islamic law has forbidden the woman observing 'iddah from doing so. Obedience to Islamic law takes precedence, as there is no obedience to a creature in disobedience to the Creator. Instructions that contravene Islamic law are not to be implemented. Therefore, the woman must remove her bracelets during the 'iddah.

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

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