Matters that are obligatory for a woman whose husband has died during the period of mourning
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Question:
Our sister asks another question, saying: If a woman is in a state of mourning, does she answer the telephone, and does she go out to attend to necessary needs? Is there a specific dress for a woman in mourning?
Answer:
Yes, it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he ordered the woman in mourning—that is, the one whose husband has died—to stay in her house. She remains in her house, if that is feasible, until she completes the waiting period of four months and ten days, unless she is pregnant; in that case, her waiting period is the delivery of the child, even if she gives birth shortly after his death. She must do what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified for her: she must leave off beautiful clothes and wear ordinary clothes, whether green, black, or ordinary red. It is not required that they be black; they should be ordinary clothes with no beauty in them. This is the first point.
The second matter is staying in the house. She remains in her house except for a need, such as going out to buy necessities from the market, going to the hospital, or the like. A teacher goes out to teach, and a student goes out to study; there is no blame on her. That is, it is a need; these are needs.
The third is not wearing gold, silver, or diamond jewelry, necklaces, bracelets, or rings. She leaves them off.
The fourth is not using perfume; not with incense, nor with other perfumes, except when she is purified from menstruation. There is no harm in using something when she is purified from menstruation.
The fifth is leaving off kohl and the like, meaning the application of kohl that beautifies the eye, because this may lead to fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). She leaves off kohl and similar things that add beauty to her face until she completes the period.
These are five: staying in the house is the first, except for a need. Going out for her needs, a need from the market, a need from the hospital, the court if she has a lawsuit, a school, a student.
Second: not wearing beautiful clothes. She wears ordinary clothes, black, or otherwise, or green.
The third: Not wearing jewelry, no gold, no silver, no diamond, or the like.
The fourth: Not using perfume, not perfuming oneself.
The fifth: Not applying kohl.
These are the required things, but she may speak on the telephone, greet people, and people may greet her, whether they are mahram (a relative one may not marry) or not, and she returns their greetings. She speaks on the telephone with whom she wishes, if the conversation contains no harm. She speaks with her relatives, she speaks with whoever she speaks with, she answers the telephone, she goes up to the roof, she goes out to the courtyard; there is nothing wrong with any of this.
The presenter : Praise be to Allah.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. Your Eminence, a rumor has spread among ordinary women that the woman in mourning does not see the moon, does not go out to the garden, and does not socialize with her neighbors?
The Shaykh: This is a mistake. She may socialize with her neighbors if they come to her, if the neighbors visit her. She socializes with them and relaxes with them over coffee or the like, yes, with good conversation. She goes out to the garden, the garden of her house, to the courtyard of her house, to the roofs, the roof for her needs in her house, and she goes out for her other needs in the market, to buy food, to buy necessities for herself, to go to the doctor, to the court if she has a case, or the like. A teacher goes out to perform her teaching, a student does not leave her studies, meaning it is a need.
The presenter : Okay.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. If she feels a tightness in her chest—Your Eminence—may she go out to socialize with her neighbors?
Answer: If she feels it, she should remember Allah. She should remember Allah, and do tasbih (glorification), and say tahlil (Allahu Akbar), and read the Qur'an. She invites her neighbors so that they sit with her and keep her company.
The presenter: But if she goes to them?
The Shaykh: Their going out, no, this is not among the needs. Her going out to them for socializing is not among the needs.
The presenter: If she feels a tightness in her chest, she should invite her neighbors and remember Allah?
The Shaykh: She should strive in dhikr (the remembrance of Allah), reading the Qur'an, and her household chores.
The presenter : May Allah bless you, may Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Our sister asks another question, saying: If a woman is in a state of mourning, does she answer the telephone, and does she go out to attend to necessary needs? Is there a specific dress for a woman in mourning?
Answer:
Yes, it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he ordered the woman in mourning—that is, the one whose husband has died—to stay in her house. She remains in her house, if that is feasible, until she completes the waiting period of four months and ten days, unless she is pregnant; in that case, her waiting period is the delivery of the child, even if she gives birth shortly after his death. She must do what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified for her: she must leave off beautiful clothes and wear ordinary clothes, whether green, black, or ordinary red. It is not required that they be black; they should be ordinary clothes with no beauty in them. This is the first point.
The second matter is staying in the house. She remains in her house except for a need, such as going out to buy necessities from the market, going to the hospital, or the like. A teacher goes out to teach, and a student goes out to study; there is no blame on her. That is, it is a need; these are needs.
The third is not wearing gold, silver, or diamond jewelry, necklaces, bracelets, or rings. She leaves them off.
The fourth is not using perfume; not with incense, nor with other perfumes, except when she is purified from menstruation. There is no harm in using something when she is purified from menstruation.
The fifth is leaving off kohl and the like, meaning the application of kohl that beautifies the eye, because this may lead to fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). She leaves off kohl and similar things that add beauty to her face until she completes the period.
These are five: staying in the house is the first, except for a need. Going out for her needs, a need from the market, a need from the hospital, the court if she has a lawsuit, a school, a student.
Second: not wearing beautiful clothes. She wears ordinary clothes, black, or otherwise, or green.
The third: Not wearing jewelry, no gold, no silver, no diamond, or the like.
The fourth: Not using perfume, not perfuming oneself.
The fifth: Not applying kohl.
These are the required things, but she may speak on the telephone, greet people, and people may greet her, whether they are mahram (a relative one may not marry) or not, and she returns their greetings. She speaks on the telephone with whom she wishes, if the conversation contains no harm. She speaks with her relatives, she speaks with whoever she speaks with, she answers the telephone, she goes up to the roof, she goes out to the courtyard; there is nothing wrong with any of this.
The presenter : Praise be to Allah.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. Your Eminence, a rumor has spread among ordinary women that the woman in mourning does not see the moon, does not go out to the garden, and does not socialize with her neighbors?
The Shaykh: This is a mistake. She may socialize with her neighbors if they come to her, if the neighbors visit her. She socializes with them and relaxes with them over coffee or the like, yes, with good conversation. She goes out to the garden, the garden of her house, to the courtyard of her house, to the roofs, the roof for her needs in her house, and she goes out for her other needs in the market, to buy food, to buy necessities for herself, to go to the doctor, to the court if she has a case, or the like. A teacher goes out to perform her teaching, a student does not leave her studies, meaning it is a need.
The presenter : Okay.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. If she feels a tightness in her chest—Your Eminence—may she go out to socialize with her neighbors?
Answer: If she feels it, she should remember Allah. She should remember Allah, and do tasbih (glorification), and say tahlil (Allahu Akbar), and read the Qur'an. She invites her neighbors so that they sit with her and keep her company.
The presenter: But if she goes to them?
The Shaykh: Their going out, no, this is not among the needs. Her going out to them for socializing is not among the needs.
The presenter: If she feels a tightness in her chest, she should invite her neighbors and remember Allah?
The Shaykh: She should strive in dhikr (the remembrance of Allah), reading the Qur'an, and her household chores.
The presenter : May Allah bless you, may Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.