What is the ruling regarding a woman marrying another man during her ‘iddah out of ignorance? Is she permanently forbidden to the second husband? And how do the two ‘iddahs conclude?

A man marrying a woman observing her iddah (waiting period) from another man is forbidden by consensus and is void. If it occurs, they must be separated.

If he has not consummated the marriage with her, her iddah remains as it was and is not interrupted by the second contract.

If he has consummated the marriage with her, the iddah is interrupted, and he must separate from her. If he does not, separation must be enforced, and she must observe a new iddah from the second man after the completion of the first iddah.

Scholars have differed on the possibility of the man marrying her thereafter: - The Maliki school, the Shafi'i school (old opinion), and a narration from the Hanbali school: She is permanently forbidden to him. - The Hanafi school, the Shafi'i school (new opinion), and a narration from the Hanbali school: It is permissible for him to marry her after the completion of both iddahs, and this is the more preponderant opinion.

If the woman gives birth to a child, it may be attributed to the first or the second husband, unless the second husband was aware of the iddah and the prohibition, in which case he is considered an adulterer (zani), and the lineage will not be attributed to him.