Rulings on Iddah for a Woman Whose Husband Has Died

Question:
What are the matters that are obligatory for a woman during the period of iddah, and is it permissible for her to travel from one country to another?

Answer:
For a woman whose husband has died, it is obligatory for her to observe iddah, which consists of five things. First, she must stay in her house; it is not permissible for her to leave the house in which her husband died. She must remain in it until the end of the iddah, and it is not permissible for her to leave it except out of necessity. Without necessity, no. Yes, it is permissible for a woman, if she feels lonely during the day, to go out with her neighbors to keep them company during the day if she feels lonely or if her chest feels tight, but she must return to her house at night. It is not permissible for her to go out or travel except out of a necessity that is unavoidable. The second thing is that she must avoid perfume in all its forms and all other fragrances that emit a scent. Third, she must avoid wearing jewelry in all its forms, whether on her hands, her neck, or her feet. She must avoid jewelry entirely. Fourth, she must avoid adornment of her body, such as dyes and all other beautifying items that fall under adornment. She must not use dyes or things that beautify the body, and she must avoid kohl. However, if she needs eye medication, she may treat her eyes; there is no harm in medication. But kohl used for adornment is not permissible for the woman. However, she may treat her eyes if she needs treatment or if something harms her eyes that contains a cure for the eyes; there is no harm in that. This is treatment, not adornment. The fifth is that she must avoid wearing clothes of adornment. She wears clothes that have no adornment, ordinary clothes. As for clothes of adornment, embroidered ones, and things made for adornment, she does not wear them. Instead, she wears ordinary clothing that does not draw attention. A woman does not have a specific color for her clothes, as some women think that she wears green or black. No, she does not have a specific color. But we have prohibited only clothes that have adornment. She may wear whatever colors are customary for women to wear, provided they have no adornment.