The waiting period of a pregnant woman whose husband has died, and her washing of his body
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, a woman’s husband passed away while she was pregnant, and she gave birth immediately after his death. Has she completed her waiting period, and is she no longer required to observe the mourning period? Also, in this case, does she have the right to wash her deceased husband after giving birth?
The Shaykh:
Yes, the waiting period for a woman whose husband has died ends with the delivery of the child. Allah the Exalted said:[At-Talaq 65:4] Even if it is for a moment, if she gives birth after his death, even if it is only a moment later, she has completed her waiting period and is free to marry. As for her washing her husband, yes, she may wash her husband, just as a husband may wash his wife. As for anyone other than the spouses, men are washed by men, and women are washed by women; this is obligatory. Yes. As for the spouses, each of them may wash the other, because 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) washed Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her), and Asma bint Umayyad washed Abu Bakr al-Siddiq because she was his wife. Yes.
The questioner:
In the question, Hissam Mar.
The Shaykh:
(peace and blessings be upon him) said to 'A'ishah when she complained, saying: This indicates that a husband has the right to wash his wife. Yes.
The questioner:
And in the question, may Allah reward you, is she required to observe the mourning period?
The Shaykh:
The mourning period follows the waiting period. As long as her waiting period has ended with the delivery of the child, she is not required to observe the mourning period. She may marry. If her husband died at Maghrib and she gave birth two or three minutes after Maghrib, she has completed her waiting period and may marry. She may marry during the 'Isha' prayer and her husband may stay with her, because she has completed her waiting period. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you
Honorable Shaykh, a woman’s husband passed away while she was pregnant, and she gave birth immediately after his death. Has she completed her waiting period, and is she no longer required to observe the mourning period? Also, in this case, does she have the right to wash her deceased husband after giving birth?
The Shaykh:
Yes, the waiting period for a woman whose husband has died ends with the delivery of the child. Allah the Exalted said:
And for those who are pregnant, their term is until they give birth
وَأُولَاتُ الْأَحْمَالِ أَجَلُهُنَّ أَن يَضَعْنَ حَمْلَهُنَّThe questioner:
In the question, Hissam Mar.
The Shaykh:
(peace and blessings be upon him) said to 'A'ishah when she complained, saying:
What would be the matter with you if I died before you, and you washed my body and prayed over me?
ما عليك لو مت قبلي فغسلتك وصليت عليكThe questioner:
And in the question, may Allah reward you, is she required to observe the mourning period?
The Shaykh:
The mourning period follows the waiting period. As long as her waiting period has ended with the delivery of the child, she is not required to observe the mourning period. She may marry. If her husband died at Maghrib and she gave birth two or three minutes after Maghrib, she has completed her waiting period and may marry. She may marry during the 'Isha' prayer and her husband may stay with her, because she has completed her waiting period. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you
Source
75-اللقاء الأسبوعي مع الشيخ صالح الفوزان - 14 — archive.org (57:45)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.