Does the woman in the waiting period repeat the waiting period if she sees a non-mahram man or if he sees her?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
This questioner from Yemen says: O Shaykh! We have a custom, O honorable Shaykh, that if a woman whose husband has died is in the middle of her waiting period, and a non-mahram man sees her, or she sees a non-mahram man, then she starts the waiting period over from the beginning. What is your opinion on this, and do you have a word to say, O Shaykh?
Answer:
This is a mistake, this is an error with no basis. If a non-mahram man sees her, or she sees a non-mahram man, she does not have to repeat the waiting period; she only has to complete it. Seeing a non-mahram man is not a problem if it is with hijab. It is not a problem for her to see him, return his greeting, or for him to greet her, like her cousin or one of her neighbors. There is nothing wrong with him greeting her, offering condolences, asking about her needs, or her asking about his needs. There is no harm in that, but it must be with covering, with hijab, and without seclusion.
And what some people say is superstitions from the superstitions of the common people, that she repeats the waiting period from the beginning because she saw a man, or spoke to him, or he saw her; all of this is wrong. Likewise, if a boy enters and speaks to her, or she speaks to him, even if he is a pubescent boy of twelve or thirteen years old, near the age of puberty, she may speak to him and he may speak to her. But hijab is only obligatory after puberty; because Allah says: [Surat al-Nur: 59]. So if he is a pubescent boy, and she thinks he has had a wet dream, or is close to having one, then hijab from him is more cautious; because it is a place where wet dreams are likely. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.
This questioner from Yemen says: O Shaykh! We have a custom, O honorable Shaykh, that if a woman whose husband has died is in the middle of her waiting period, and a non-mahram man sees her, or she sees a non-mahram man, then she starts the waiting period over from the beginning. What is your opinion on this, and do you have a word to say, O Shaykh?
Answer:
This is a mistake, this is an error with no basis. If a non-mahram man sees her, or she sees a non-mahram man, she does not have to repeat the waiting period; she only has to complete it. Seeing a non-mahram man is not a problem if it is with hijab. It is not a problem for her to see him, return his greeting, or for him to greet her, like her cousin or one of her neighbors. There is nothing wrong with him greeting her, offering condolences, asking about her needs, or her asking about his needs. There is no harm in that, but it must be with covering, with hijab, and without seclusion.
And what some people say is superstitions from the superstitions of the common people, that she repeats the waiting period from the beginning because she saw a man, or spoke to him, or he saw her; all of this is wrong. Likewise, if a boy enters and speaks to her, or she speaks to him, even if he is a pubescent boy of twelve or thirteen years old, near the age of puberty, she may speak to him and he may speak to her. But hijab is only obligatory after puberty; because Allah says:
And when the children among you reach puberty, let them ask permission
وَإِذَا بَلَغَ الأَطْفَالُ مِنْكُمُ الْحُلُمَ فَلْيَسْتَأْذِنُواThe presenter: May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.