Is the waiting period (iddah) obligatory for a wife after the death of her husband who had ceased contact with her but did not divorce her?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If a divorce has not occurred by the time of the husband's death, the wife must observe the ' (waiting period) of death (four months and ten days) if she is not pregnant. The same applies if a revocable divorce occurred and the 'iddah has not yet expired. However, if he divorced her and her 'iddah has expired, she is not required to observe the 'iddah of death upon his passing.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/60911
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 60911
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy