'Iddah (Female Menstrual Waiting Period): Difference between revisions

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The 'iddah (waiting period) of different kind of women in Islam varies depending on her status:
The 'iddah (waiting period) of different kind of women in Islam varies depending on her status:


* '''A widowed woman''': The waiting period is 4 months and 10 days
*'''A widowed woman''': The waiting period is 4 months and 10 days
* '''A pregnant woman''': The waiting period is up to 9 months (till the birth of the baby)
*'''A pregnant woman''': The waiting period is up to 9 months (till the birth of the baby)
* '''A divorced woman''': The waiting period is 3 menstrual cycles.  
*'''A divorced woman''': The waiting period is 3 menstrual cycles.


Muslim scholars defend these restrictions upon the women in 'Iddah. They claim that rulings of 'Iddah could neither be abolished, nor could they be changed as the rulings of the [[Shari'ah (Islamic Law)| Islamic Sharia]]  are based upon wisdom, justice and the best interests of the women, and they protect the women against the gender oppression and misogyny, while the man made laws of the modern Western world lead to the sexual exploitation of the women<ref>[https://islamqa.info/en/answers/39286 Islam Question Answer Fatwa Website: Is it correct to think that fatwas may vary according to time and place?] </ref><ref>[https://yaqeeninstitute.org/read/paper/women-in-islamic-law-examining-five-prevalent-myths Women in Islamic Law: Examining Five Prevalent Myths]</ref>. Yet in point of fact women are forced to unilaterally face these restrictions, which make their life difficult, while the husbands don't have to face any restriction. The basis of these restrictions, the need to be sure of fatherhood, has been rendered obsolete by modern science. In addition, these restrictions are not found anywhere in the bible or Judeo-Christian tradition. Their antecedents seem rather to be pre-Islamic Arab culture (which is known as "Time of Ignorance (i.e. jāhiliyyah)"<ref>[https://www.al-islam.org/man-and-ignorance/what-does-jahiliyah-mean What does Jahiliyah mean?]</ref>.
Muslim scholars defend these restrictions upon the women in 'Iddah. They claim that rulings of 'Iddah could neither be abolished, nor could they be changed as the rulings of the [[Shari'ah (Islamic Law)| Islamic Sharia]]  are based upon wisdom, justice and the best interests of the women, and they protect the women against the gender oppression and misogyny, while the man made laws of the modern Western world lead to the sexual exploitation of the women<ref>[https://islamqa.info/en/answers/39286 Islam Question Answer Fatwa Website: Is it correct to think that fatwas may vary according to time and place?] </ref><ref>[https://yaqeeninstitute.org/read/paper/women-in-islamic-law-examining-five-prevalent-myths Women in Islamic Law: Examining Five Prevalent Myths]</ref>. Yet in point of fact women are forced to unilaterally face these restrictions, which make their life difficult, while the husbands don't have to face any restriction. The basis of these restrictions, the need to be sure of fatherhood, has been rendered obsolete by modern science. In addition, these restrictions are not found anywhere in the bible or Judeo-Christian tradition. Their antecedents seem rather to be pre-Islamic Arab culture (which is known as "Time of Ignorance (i.e. jāhiliyyah)"<ref>[https://www.al-islam.org/man-and-ignorance/what-does-jahiliyah-mean What does Jahiliyah mean?]</ref>.
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*'''A pregnant woman''': The waiting period is up to 9 months (till the birth of the baby). The reason is to prevent that another man (as 2nd husband) could "water" the fetus from the previous husband<ref name=":3" /><ref>[https://quranx.com/Hadith/AbuDawud/DarusSalam/Hadith-2158/ Sunnan Abu Dawud, Hadith 2158]</ref>.
*'''A pregnant woman''': The waiting period is up to 9 months (till the birth of the baby). The reason is to prevent that another man (as 2nd husband) could "water" the fetus from the previous husband<ref name=":3" /><ref>[https://quranx.com/Hadith/AbuDawud/DarusSalam/Hadith-2158/ Sunnan Abu Dawud, Hadith 2158]</ref>.


== How Islamic divorce works ==
==How Islamic divorce works==
An important factor in Islamic divorce is whether the husband has declared the divorce for three times or less.
An important factor in Islamic divorce is whether the husband has declared the divorce for three times or less.


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Ibn Taymiya’s opinion is the popular one in the Muslim world today.<ref>[https://al-maktaba.org/book/9486/1031 Fiqh Al-Sunnah by Sayyid Sabiq, Dar Al-Kitab Al-Arabi, vol.2 p.271]</ref><ref>[https://al-maktaba.org/book/7692/41 Al-Bid’ah Wa Atharuha by Abu Ishaq Al-Huwayni, Al-Shamilah library, vol.5 p.13]</ref>
Ibn Taymiya’s opinion is the popular one in the Muslim world today.<ref>[https://al-maktaba.org/book/9486/1031 Fiqh Al-Sunnah by Sayyid Sabiq, Dar Al-Kitab Al-Arabi, vol.2 p.271]</ref><ref>[https://al-maktaba.org/book/7692/41 Al-Bid’ah Wa Atharuha by Abu Ishaq Al-Huwayni, Al-Shamilah library, vol.5 p.13]</ref>
Another opinion of Ibn Taymiyah which is adopted by prominent Saudi scholars Ibn Baz and Ibn Uthaymin, says that in a single menstrual cycle only one divorce counts<ref>[https://www.islamweb.net/ar/fatwa/110547/%D9%85%D8%B0%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%B7%D9%84%D9%82-%D8%B2%D9%88%D8%AC%D8%AA%D9%87-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%B7%D9%87%D8%B1-%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%87 Islamweb.net Fatwa no.110547]</ref>. Meaning that for the husband to have a triple divorce he needs to declare divorce once in the each of the three menstrual cycles of the Iddah period.


==Restrictions upon the woman during her 'Iddah:==
==Restrictions upon the woman during her 'Iddah:==
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