The Wisdom Behind the Prescription of the Waiting Period
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Question:
We move on to the message from the questioner who used the code name Umm Rashid, from Yemen, residing in Makkah. She says, recalling: that she is a widow, her husband has passed away, and she is currently in the waiting period. She says: I want you, may Allah reward you, to tell us the wisdom behind the prescription of the waiting period for a woman whose husband has died, and what the lesson is in that?
Answer:
The most likely reason—may Allah know best—is to protect the woman and preserve her, so that a child from another man is not attributed to her husband. That is, Allah made the waiting period a protection for her and a protection for her husband, so that a child who is not his is not attributed to him. If she remains in the waiting period until it is completed, this serves as evidence of the purity of her womb and that she did not become pregnant by the man. If there had been a pregnancy, it would have become apparent during the waiting period. If a pregnancy appears after that, it becomes clear that it is from other than her husband, so that nothing from another man is attributed to him.
So, a woman after divorce observes a waiting period of three menstrual cycles, and if she does not menstruate, it is three months. And a woman whose husband has died observes a waiting period of four months and ten days, if she is not pregnant. This is in the category of expressing grief for the husband and being affected by his death, and also protecting the woman from something happening that would cause a child not from her husband to be attributed to him. Because if she married early, she might become pregnant by this new husband and claim that the child is from the first one, resulting in attributing to him children who are not his.
So, the point is: Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) prescribed the waiting period for benefits, among which are:
Being affected by the separation from the husband, and that a period remains between her and the other husband, and this is a right of the first husband and part of the sanctity of his marriage.
And among them: that it serves as protection for her from being married to someone else by a marriage contract, so that matters regarding the marriage of this one and her pregnancy do not become confused.
And among them: also protecting the first husband from having children attributed to him who are from another man. So, there are many benefits in it. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
We move on to the message from the questioner who used the code name Umm Rashid, from Yemen, residing in Makkah. She says, recalling: that she is a widow, her husband has passed away, and she is currently in the waiting period. She says: I want you, may Allah reward you, to tell us the wisdom behind the prescription of the waiting period for a woman whose husband has died, and what the lesson is in that?
Answer:
The most likely reason—may Allah know best—is to protect the woman and preserve her, so that a child from another man is not attributed to her husband. That is, Allah made the waiting period a protection for her and a protection for her husband, so that a child who is not his is not attributed to him. If she remains in the waiting period until it is completed, this serves as evidence of the purity of her womb and that she did not become pregnant by the man. If there had been a pregnancy, it would have become apparent during the waiting period. If a pregnancy appears after that, it becomes clear that it is from other than her husband, so that nothing from another man is attributed to him.
So, a woman after divorce observes a waiting period of three menstrual cycles, and if she does not menstruate, it is three months. And a woman whose husband has died observes a waiting period of four months and ten days, if she is not pregnant. This is in the category of expressing grief for the husband and being affected by his death, and also protecting the woman from something happening that would cause a child not from her husband to be attributed to him. Because if she married early, she might become pregnant by this new husband and claim that the child is from the first one, resulting in attributing to him children who are not his.
So, the point is: Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) prescribed the waiting period for benefits, among which are:
Being affected by the separation from the husband, and that a period remains between her and the other husband, and this is a right of the first husband and part of the sanctity of his marriage.
And among them: that it serves as protection for her from being married to someone else by a marriage contract, so that matters regarding the marriage of this one and her pregnancy do not become confused.
And among them: also protecting the first husband from having children attributed to him who are from another man. So, there are many benefits in it. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.