The Quran

234

Preface

وَالَّذينَ يُتَوَفَّونَ مِنكُم وَيَذَرونَ أَزواجًا يَتَرَبَّصنَ بِأَنفُسِهِنَّ أَربَعَةَ أَشهُرٍ وَعَشرًا ۖ فَإِذا بَلَغنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَلا جُناحَ عَلَيكُم فيما فَعَلنَ في أَنفُسِهِنَّ بِالمَعروفِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ بِما تَعمَلونَ خَبيرٌ

Yusuf Ali

If any of you die and leave widows behind, they shall wait concerning themselves four months and ten days:¹ When they have fulfilled their term, there is no blame on you if they dispose of themselves in a just and reasonable manner. And God is well acquainted with what ye do.

The ʿIddat of widowhood (four months and ten days) is longer than the ʿIddat of divorce (three monthly courses. 2:418). In the latter the only consideration is to ascertain if there is any unborn issue of the marriage dissolved. This is clear from 33:49, where it is laid down that there is no ʿIddat for virgin divorcees. In the former there is in addition the consideration of mourning and respect for the deceased husband. In either case, if it is proved that there is unborn issue, there is of course no question of remarriage for the woman until it is born and for a reasonable time afterwards. Meanwhile her maintenance on a reasonable scale is chargeable to the late husband or his estate.