Is it permissible for a woman in the waiting period to go out for the tarawih prayer?
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The questioner : He says:The questioner : Noble Shaykh, is it permissible for a woman in the waiting period to go out for the tarawih prayer?
The Shaykh : Yes. First, we must ask: who is the woman for whom the waiting period is obligatory? The woman for whom it is obligatory is the one whose husband has died. The waiting period follows the 'iddah; it lengthens with its length and shortens with its shortening. So if the woman whose husband died was pregnant and gave birth two days after his death, her 'iddah has ended, and her waiting period has also ended. And if the woman whose husband died was not pregnant, meaning she had no pregnancy, then it is obligatory for her to observe an 'iddah of four months and ten days, and to observe the waiting period for that entire duration. What is the waiting period? The waiting period is the woman abstaining from everything that beautifies her, adorns her, and invites to intercourse with her. So she avoids the following matters:
First: Any beautiful clothing is not permissible for her. That is, it is not permissible for the woman in the waiting period to wear beautiful clothes. And what are beautiful clothes? They are those which, when a woman wears them, it is said that she has adorned herself. Based on this, ordinary clothing does not contradict the waiting period, whether its color is green, black, red, brown, or otherwise. The important thing is that the garment not be a garment of adornment.
Second: She avoids adorning herself with gold or silver or anything else that is considered jewelry. She avoids it, whether it is gold, silver, or otherwise. Now, if she has rings, it is obligatory for her to remove them. And if she has a bracelet, it is obligatory for her to remove it. But if the bracelet cannot be removed except by cutting it because it is tight, is it obligatory for her to cut it? The answer is yes, it is obligatory for her to cut it, because cutting it does not cause her loss, rather it may only reduce its value. But what is necessary for the completion of an obligation is itself obligatory. Now, if the woman in the waiting period has a gold tooth, is it obligatory for her to remove it? O people, do not rush to answer. We warned against issuing fatwas without knowledge two nights ago. Yes, it is looked into. It is said: if there is harm in removing it, then it is not obligatory for her to remove it. And if there is no harm in it, she removes it. That is, if we suppose the tooth is a cap, then it is easy for her to remove it, so she removes it. But if it cannot be removed except with harm to her, then she does not remove it. However, it is good for her to try to conceal it as much as possible.
Third: She avoids all types of perfume. That is, she does not apply perfume, neither on her body nor on her clothes, neither incense nor oud oil nor anything else. All types of perfume are avoided, except if she purifies herself from menstruation, in which case there is no harm in her using incense for the scent that remains after menstruation.
Fourth: She avoids all adornments, such as kohl, makeup, wad, red dye, black dye, and the like. Everything that involves beautification, she avoids it. What about a wig? Do you know what a wig is? Yes. Does she avoid it? Yes. There is a difference of opinion regarding the permissibility of a wig from the outset, or at least there is a detailed discussion regarding its permissibility. Fifth: Going out of the house. It is not permissible for her to go out of the house in which her husband died and in which she resides, except for a need during the day or for a dire necessity at night. Pay attention: going out of the house is not permissible for the woman in the waiting period except for a need during the day or for a dire necessity at night. So going out at night is more severe than going out during the day. A need during the day is when a woman has no one to bring her food and drink, or the one who brings the food and drink is not present now, so she needs to go out. Also included in this is if she is a teacher and has not been given a break, and if she is a student who needs to go out for an exam and it is not possible for her to take the exam at home. All of this is considered a need. As for a dire necessity at night, it is like if the house is on the verge of collapsing and it rains heavily that night, and she fears the house will collapse, in which case she goes out out of dire necessity. Or if the house catches fire and she fears that if she stays, she will burn with the house, then she may go out in that case. How many are these? Five. All of them are things the woman in the waiting period avoids.
And here are questions. First, is it permissible for the woman in the waiting period to speak to men? The answer is that she is like any other woman in speaking to men. It is permissible for her to answer the phone, and it is permissible for her to answer the person knocking on the door, and it is permissible for her to speak to men in general. Because a woman speaking to a man, if no fitnah is feared from it, is not forbidden. What is forbidden is for the woman to speak with softness, by the word of Allah Blessed and Exalted is He:[Al-Ahzab 33:32]
The second question: Is it permissible for the woman in the waiting period to expose herself to the moon on the night of the middle of the month? What did you say? What? Repeat the question. I allow it, but I want to know where you went? What?
The student: I am following up on the questions.
The Shaykh : You follow up on the questions, there are specific people for that.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Okay, rest. The question: Is it permissible for the woman in the waiting period to expose herself to the moon on the night of the middle of the month? That is, for example, she goes out to the courtyard of the house or to the roof, for example. Is it permissible for her to expose herself to it? Yes, it is permissible. Why do you stop at this? There is no need. It is permissible for her to expose herself to it. And we have heard among the common people, or among some of the common people, that it is not permissible...
The Shaykh : Yes. First, we must ask: who is the woman for whom the waiting period is obligatory? The woman for whom it is obligatory is the one whose husband has died. The waiting period follows the 'iddah; it lengthens with its length and shortens with its shortening. So if the woman whose husband died was pregnant and gave birth two days after his death, her 'iddah has ended, and her waiting period has also ended. And if the woman whose husband died was not pregnant, meaning she had no pregnancy, then it is obligatory for her to observe an 'iddah of four months and ten days, and to observe the waiting period for that entire duration. What is the waiting period? The waiting period is the woman abstaining from everything that beautifies her, adorns her, and invites to intercourse with her. So she avoids the following matters:
First: Any beautiful clothing is not permissible for her. That is, it is not permissible for the woman in the waiting period to wear beautiful clothes. And what are beautiful clothes? They are those which, when a woman wears them, it is said that she has adorned herself. Based on this, ordinary clothing does not contradict the waiting period, whether its color is green, black, red, brown, or otherwise. The important thing is that the garment not be a garment of adornment.
Second: She avoids adorning herself with gold or silver or anything else that is considered jewelry. She avoids it, whether it is gold, silver, or otherwise. Now, if she has rings, it is obligatory for her to remove them. And if she has a bracelet, it is obligatory for her to remove it. But if the bracelet cannot be removed except by cutting it because it is tight, is it obligatory for her to cut it? The answer is yes, it is obligatory for her to cut it, because cutting it does not cause her loss, rather it may only reduce its value. But what is necessary for the completion of an obligation is itself obligatory. Now, if the woman in the waiting period has a gold tooth, is it obligatory for her to remove it? O people, do not rush to answer. We warned against issuing fatwas without knowledge two nights ago. Yes, it is looked into. It is said: if there is harm in removing it, then it is not obligatory for her to remove it. And if there is no harm in it, she removes it. That is, if we suppose the tooth is a cap, then it is easy for her to remove it, so she removes it. But if it cannot be removed except with harm to her, then she does not remove it. However, it is good for her to try to conceal it as much as possible.
Third: She avoids all types of perfume. That is, she does not apply perfume, neither on her body nor on her clothes, neither incense nor oud oil nor anything else. All types of perfume are avoided, except if she purifies herself from menstruation, in which case there is no harm in her using incense for the scent that remains after menstruation.
Fourth: She avoids all adornments, such as kohl, makeup, wad, red dye, black dye, and the like. Everything that involves beautification, she avoids it. What about a wig? Do you know what a wig is? Yes. Does she avoid it? Yes. There is a difference of opinion regarding the permissibility of a wig from the outset, or at least there is a detailed discussion regarding its permissibility. Fifth: Going out of the house. It is not permissible for her to go out of the house in which her husband died and in which she resides, except for a need during the day or for a dire necessity at night. Pay attention: going out of the house is not permissible for the woman in the waiting period except for a need during the day or for a dire necessity at night. So going out at night is more severe than going out during the day. A need during the day is when a woman has no one to bring her food and drink, or the one who brings the food and drink is not present now, so she needs to go out. Also included in this is if she is a teacher and has not been given a break, and if she is a student who needs to go out for an exam and it is not possible for her to take the exam at home. All of this is considered a need. As for a dire necessity at night, it is like if the house is on the verge of collapsing and it rains heavily that night, and she fears the house will collapse, in which case she goes out out of dire necessity. Or if the house catches fire and she fears that if she stays, she will burn with the house, then she may go out in that case. How many are these? Five. All of them are things the woman in the waiting period avoids.
And here are questions. First, is it permissible for the woman in the waiting period to speak to men? The answer is that she is like any other woman in speaking to men. It is permissible for her to answer the phone, and it is permissible for her to answer the person knocking on the door, and it is permissible for her to speak to men in general. Because a woman speaking to a man, if no fitnah is feared from it, is not forbidden. What is forbidden is for the woman to speak with softness, by the word of Allah Blessed and Exalted is He:
do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet
ولا تخضعن بالقول فيطمع الذي في قلبه مرضThe second question: Is it permissible for the woman in the waiting period to expose herself to the moon on the night of the middle of the month? What did you say? What? Repeat the question. I allow it, but I want to know where you went? What?
The student: I am following up on the questions.
The Shaykh : You follow up on the questions, there are specific people for that.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Okay, rest. The question: Is it permissible for the woman in the waiting period to expose herself to the moon on the night of the middle of the month? That is, for example, she goes out to the courtyard of the house or to the roof, for example. Is it permissible for her to expose herself to it? Yes, it is permissible. Why do you stop at this? There is no need. It is permissible for her to expose herself to it. And we have heard among the common people, or among some of the common people, that it is not permissible...