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Is it permissible for a husband to take back his divorced wife after four menstrual cycles and the passage of nearly three months since the divorce, knowing that the waiting period (iddah) ends in less than two days? And what is the minimum duration for the iddah?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A divorced woman who experiences menstruation completes her waiting period (iddah) after three menstrual cycles. The minimum duration for completing this waiting period is a matter on which scholars have differed: two months according to the Hanafi school, a rarely occurring period like a month according to the Maliki school, thirty-two days and two moments according to the Shafi'i school, and twenty-nine days and one moment according to the Hanbali school. If a woman menstruates three times after a divorce and before reconciliation, she becomes irrevocably separated from her husband, and he cannot take her back except through a new marriage contract.

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

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