The ruling on observing a full year of mourning in black clothing

Question: In some countries, it is the custom that when a woman loses a relative, she wears black clothing for a full year. If she does not wear it, they say she is happy about that person's death. I have learned that this is not permissible. What do you say about this matter—may Allah reward you with good—so that people may benefit and know what is clarified to them regarding the ruling of the pure Shari'ah?

Answer: What the questioner mentioned, namely that a woman observes a full year of mourning for a relative in black clothing, is not permissible. This has no basis; rather, it is a practice of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. In the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, a woman among them would observe a full year of mourning if her husband died. Islam abrogated this, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed that this is from the practices of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance.
And Allah obligated for the woman, in place of that, to observe mourning for her husband for four months and ten days—if she is not pregnant. As for if she is pregnant, her waiting period ends with the delivery of the child, even if it is after her husband's death by hours or days; for the saying of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Surat al-Talaq: 4].
As for a relative other than the husband, she is not allowed to observe mourning for him for more than three days; for the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . It is agreed upon that it is authentic.
And observing mourning (Ihdad) is leaving off the usual adornment for the sake of the calamity of death.
As for the woman observing mourning for a year for a relative or husband, or in a specific black clothing only, all of this has no basis. Rather, it is a reprehensible practice of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. She is allowed to wear black, or yellow, green, or blue, but the clothing should not be beautiful, and should be ordinary and not attract attention; for he (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the woman in mourning from wearing anything of dyed clothing. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the woman in mourning for her husband: .
The scholars said: The undyed garment has no beauty in it; so what is prescribed for her is to wear clothing that has no beauty in it; because it exposes her to trial, so her clothing should be ordinary and not attract attention.
This is what is prescribed for the woman in mourning for her husband. And she must avoid perfume during the waiting period, as well as adornment from gold and silver and the like; such as pearls and diamonds and the like, during the waiting period. And likewise, she must avoid kohl in her eyes. All of this is what the woman in mourning is prevented from. And she is allowed to treat her eyes with something other than kohl.

And the summary: The woman in mourning is commanded with five matters:
She remains in her husband's house in which she was residing until she finishes her waiting period; for his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying to the woman in mourning: . Thus he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . But there is no harm in her going out for a need in the market to buy it; such as food or other things, or to the doctor for her need for a doctor, so there is no harm in this. As for her going out for other than that; such as visits and the like, no, rather she remains in her house, and she does not travel—also—not for Hajj or other than that until she finishes her waiting period.
She does not wear beautiful clothing, rather she wears ordinary clothing that has no beauty that attracts attention—as mentioned earlier—whether it is black, or green, or blue, or red, or other than that.
Not wearing adornment from gold and silver and the like; such as pearls and diamonds and the like, so she does not wear this; because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade that.
Not using perfume; because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ; meaning the woman in mourning, so she does not touch perfume—whether it is from agarwood oil, or rose, or the like—except if she menstruates like a young woman; for she is allowed to use perfume when she is purified from her menstruation, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted this.
Kohl: She is not allowed to apply kohl, nor to use henna; because it is beauty, so she avoids that and the like of it.
And these five matters are what the woman in mourning is obligated to observe and take care of. As for other than that, she is of the same kind as the rest of the women; she is allowed to take a full ritual bath whenever she wishes, and to change her clothes whenever she wishes, and to use medicine for what befalls her of illnesses; in her eyes or other than that, and she is allowed to serve in her house from cooking and other than that, and to go up to the roof in the night and the day, and she is allowed to go out to the courtyard and to the garden in her house, all of this is not a problem, and she speaks to whom she wishes of her relatives, or her neighbors by the telephone or other than that, all of this is not a problem—if it is speech that has no backbiting, and has no wrong in it—so she is of the same kind as the rest of the women, and she is allowed to walk in her house barefoot and shod like the others.