The Woman in 'Iddah Speaking with Unrelated Men

Question:
Fā, 'ayn, hā. He asks: Is it permissible for a woman whose husband has died to speak to unrelated men over the telephone, or from behind a barrier between them, while she is in the days of the waiting period, if that is out of necessity and there is conversation between her and them?

Answer:
There is nothing wrong with her speaking to men while she is in the waiting period after a husband's death about what she needs, without flirting and without any inclination in her speech, and only ordinary conversation that contains no temptation. There is nothing wrong with that, whether she is in the waiting period after a husband's death or in any other situation. A woman may speak to men about what she needs in a manner that contains no fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). It is not required that she speak to them from behind a wall or from behind a partition. Rather, if they enter her presence and she is veiled, and she speaks to them or they greet her, she returns their salam. There is nothing wrong with that, even if she is a beloved. Yes.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you