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What is permissible for a woman to do and what is not permissible for her to do during her waiting period (iddah) after the death of her husband? Is it permissible for her to supplicate for him by his name or by the phrase "my husband"? Can she look at herself in the mirror, bathe, and use shampoo and scented soap?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The waiting period (iddah) for a woman whose husband has died is, if she is pregnant, until she delivers her entire pregnancy. If she is not pregnant, it is four months and ten days. It is forbidden for her to use anything that contains perfume. It is permissible for her to look in the mirror, bathe, and cleanse her body. There is nothing to prevent her from supplicating for her deceased husband by name. It is disliked for her to say "O my husband" if she intends the previous marital relationship.

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

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