A woman whose husband died and she did not learn of his death until ten months had passed: does she observe the waiting period or the mourning period, or what do you advise her to do?

Question:
May Allah reward you with good and do you good. Another issue raised by the listener 'Adh Mubarak 'Ali al-Sha'iri, who says: A woman’s husband died a long time ago, up to ten months, and she did not observe the waiting period nor the mourning period. Is it permissible for her, after she learned of it, to enter the mourning period, or what do you advise her to do? May Allah reward you with good. He calls the mourning period in his letter "al-Ribath."

Answer:
The waiting period for death begins from the death of the deceased, from the death of the husband, not from the wife’s knowledge of it. Rather, it begins from the time of the husband’s death. If she learns of his death soon, she observes it. If she learns during the waiting period, she likewise completes the waiting period and observes the rulings of the mourning period for the remainder of the waiting period. As for if the news did not reach her until the waiting period had passed, which is four months and ten days, then she has observed the waiting period by the passage of the time, even if she did not know. The mourning period is dropped from her by the passage of its time. Yes.