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What is the opinion regarding the one who believes that what is meant by His saying, the Almighty, (And those who have not yet menstruated) in the verse of divorce, is the mature adult woman who does not menstruate, not the young girl who has not yet menstruated?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The verse was revealed: "And those of your women who have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the 'Iddah (prescribed period), if you have doubts (about their periods), is three months, and for those who have no courses (i.e. young girls); and for those who are pregnant (whether they are divorced or their husbands are dead), their 'Iddah (prescribed period) is until they lay down their burden." (65:4) This was to clarify the 'iddah (waiting period) for women not mentioned in the verse in Surat al-Baqarah (Chapter of the Cow): namely, young girls, elderly women who have ceased menstruating, and pregnant women. Their 'iddah is three months instead of three menstrual cycles. As for pregnant women, their 'iddah is until they deliver their burden. The marriage of young girls before puberty was well-known during the era of the predecessors, and no one saw any harm in it for those who could endure it. However, jurists explicitly prohibited allowing a husband to consummate marriage with a very young girl who cannot endure it, in order to prevent harm. Scholars unanimously agreed on the permissibility for fathers to marry off their young daughters, even if they are still in the cradle, but their husbands are not permitted to consummate the marriage with them unless they are fit for intercourse and can tolerate men.

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

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