Two: You state that there is a custom followed by some families, which is that if the husband of one of the women dies, her relatives or family members have nothing to do but make her pass under the coffin in which he is lying three times.
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The questioner : Two: You state that there is a custom followed by some families, which is that if the husband of one of the women dies, her relatives or family members have nothing to do but make her pass under the coffin in which he is lying three times. If she does this, she is not required to observe the waiting period for her husband. Is this correct?
The Shaykh : This is invalid. If a woman’s husband dies, it is obligatory for her to observe the waiting period. If she is pregnant, she must wait until she gives birth, whether the duration is long or short. If she is not pregnant, she must wait until four months and ten days have passed. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:234] And He the Exalted said: [At-Talaq 65:4] When the husband of Subay’ah al-Aslamiyyah died, she gave birth a few nights after his death, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted her to marry. This indicates that the generality of the statement of Allah the Exalted: [At-Talaq 65:4] is a general, decisive text from which nothing is excluded. This is unlike His statement: [Al-Baqarah 2:234], for this general statement is specified by His statement: [At-Talaq 65:4]. Accordingly, if a woman’s husband dies and she is pregnant, her waiting period ends when she gives birth. When the waiting period ends, the mourning period also ends. If the husband dies at the beginning of the day and she gives birth at the end of the day, her waiting period and mourning period are completed, and she becomes permissible for marriage on that same night.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If she remains pregnant for ten months, a year, or more, she remains in the waiting period and mourning until she gives birth. As for passing under his coffin three times or doing something similar, this is among the invalid actions that have no basis in the Shari’ah of Allah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
This is a question from the listener Ahmad Hamdan, a Sudanese working in the Kingdom.
The Shaykh : This is invalid. If a woman’s husband dies, it is obligatory for her to observe the waiting period. If she is pregnant, she must wait until she gives birth, whether the duration is long or short. If she is not pregnant, she must wait until four months and ten days have passed. Allah the Exalted said:
And those who are taken in death among you and leave wives behind - they, [the wives, shall] wait four months and ten [days]
وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنْكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنفُسِهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًاAnd for those who are pregnant, their term is until they give birth
وَأُوْلاتُ الأَحْمَالِ أَجَلُهُنَّ أَنْ يَضَعْنَ حَمْلَهُنَّAnd for those who are pregnant, their term
وَأُوْلاتُ الأَحْمَالِ أَجَلُهُنَّAnd those who are taken in death among you and leave wives behind - they, [the wives, shall] wait four months and ten [days]
وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنْكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنفُسِهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًاAnd for those who are pregnant, their term is until they give birth
وَأُوْلاتُ الأَحْمَالِ أَجَلُهُنَّ أَنْ يَضَعْنَ حَمْلَهُنَّThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If she remains pregnant for ten months, a year, or more, she remains in the waiting period and mourning until she gives birth. As for passing under his coffin three times or doing something similar, this is among the invalid actions that have no basis in the Shari’ah of Allah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
This is a question from the listener Ahmad Hamdan, a Sudanese working in the Kingdom.