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When does the 'iddah (waiting period) for a divorced woman begin in absentia: Is it from the date of the divorce or the date she is informed of it? And if it begins from the date of the divorce (2 Dhu al-Qi'dah), when exactly does it end (2 Safar or 3 Safar)?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The answer to the question "When does the 'iddah (waiting period) of a woman divorced in absentia begin and end?" states that the 'iddah begins from the time of divorce if the divorce is established by clear evidence. If there is no such evidence, scholars differ on whether the 'iddah begins from the time of divorce or from the time the wife learns of it. The answer quotes the opinions of the four madhhabs (schools of thought) on this issue. As for when the 'iddah ends, it varies depending on the woman's condition: for a pregnant woman, her 'iddah ends upon delivery; for a non-pregnant woman who menstruates, her 'iddah is three menstrual cycles; and for a woman who does not menstruate, her 'iddah is three months.

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

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