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If a marriage contract was concluded but consummation did not occur, and one of the spouses died, do they inherit from each other, and is the wife obligated to observe the waiting period (iddah) if the husband dies before consummation?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If the marriage contract was validly concluded and one of the spouses dies before consummation, inheritance occurs between them due to the generality of Allah's saying: "And for you is half of what your wives leave if they have no child. But if they have a child, for you is a fourth of what they leave, after any bequest they [may have] made or debt. And for them is a fourth of what you leave if you have no child. But if you have a child, for them is an eighth of what you leave, after any bequest you [may have] made or debt." Also, the waiting period (iddah) for death is obligatory upon her, due to the generality of Allah's saying: "And those of you who die and leave wives behind - they, [the wives], shall wait four months and ten [days]."

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

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