Is the waiting period (iddah) obligatory for a divorced woman if her husband did not consummate the marriage, and the lawful seclusion (al-khalwah al-shar'iyyah) was limited to kissing and embracing in the wife's parents' home, with the door not entirely closed?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If the seclusion between the engaged couple takes place in a location where they cannot be certain that no one will enter upon them, then it is not considered a lawful seclusion ( shar'iyya), and the rulings pertaining to consummation, such as the obligation of the (waiting period), do not apply. In this case, there is no harm in accepting the engagement.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/167648
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 167648
- 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