Is waiting period required or desired according to Islamic law?
Guest asked 5 months ago
It is often said that iddah is required to ascertain the lineage of unborn child. That is, a divorced woman must be sure that she is not pregnant before she gets married again and the way to do that is to wait until she is certain she did not get pregnant during the previous marriage.
Is this true?
If a woman can ascertain that she is not pregnant through medical means now, could the waiting period be skipped?
1 Answers
Guest answered 5 months ago
There is consensus among Muslims about the general necessity of waiting period (al- ‘iddah). Its basis is the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
As to the Qur’an, we have the following verse:
Women who are divorced shall wait, keeping themselves apart, three (monthly) courses…. (2:228)
As to the Sunnah, there is the Prophet’s tradition commanding Fatimah bint Qays:
Observe ‘iddah in the house of Ibn Umm Maktum.
They differ, however, regarding: the ‘iddah of a wife separated from her husband due to divorce or annulment of marriage; the ‘iddah of a widow; the ‘iddah of a woman copulated by mistake; the relief of an adulteress (from menses); and the ‘iddah of a wife whose husband has disappeared.
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