The Ruling on the Waiting Period for a Woman Who Commits Zina

Question:
Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings. May Allah reward you. Honorable Shaykh, the questioner says: You mentioned in the explanation that a woman who commits zina is not to be married until her waiting period is completed by her being purified. Does she remain in her original waiting period, whether she is a free woman or a slave woman, or is it sufficient for her to be purified by one menstrual period after the zina?

Answer:
The slave woman has a choice of three [menstrual periods]; one menstrual period is not sufficient, just as in the case of a woman who has been divorced. [The verse states:] “And women who are divorced must wait three menstrual periods.” If she does not menstruate, she waits for three months. Some scholars say she waits for one menstrual period, but the correct view is that this applies specifically to the slave woman. As for the free woman, she is purified by three menstrual periods, as a precaution for the rights of the children. Yes.