Rulings Concerning the Woman Whose Husband Has Died

Question:
What are the things prohibited for a woman whose husband has died during the waiting period, which is four months and ten days?

Answer:
She must observe five matters. The widow must observe five matters during the waiting period, which is four months and ten days if she is not pregnant. As for if she is pregnant, she observes the waiting period for the entire duration of the pregnancy until she gives birth, even if it exceeds four months and ten days; for Allah says: [Al-Talaq:4]. She observes five matters:

The first matter: Remaining in the house in which her husband died and in which she was residing. She stays in it until she completes the waiting period; for the Messenger of Allah ordered some women whose husbands had died to remain in the house until it ends, until the term is fulfilled. However, she may go out for her needs, to the market to buy her necessities from the market, … for treatment, to go to class if she is a teacher, or a student, for one of the most important needs.

The second matter: Avoiding beautiful clothes. She does not wear beautiful clothes—beautiful dyed clothes. She wears clothes that are not beautiful, black or green or blue or otherwise, but not beautiful, not drawing attention.

The third: Not using perfume. She does not use perfume, not incense or anything else, unless she is menstruating; for when she is pure, there is no objection to her using some of the kaff (a type of incense), or incense after her purity; for the text has come with that.

The fourth: Not wearing jewelry of gold, silver, diamonds, and the like. She does not wear jewelry, not necklaces, not bracelets, not anything similar, everything that is called jewelry.

The fifth: Not using kohl and the like, such as henna and makeup and the like. She avoids all these things until she completes the waiting period.
As for her speaking to people, speaking to those who greet her, or who speak to her, or speaking on the telephone; there is no harm in the telephone, or greeting her female relatives who visit her, or shaking hands with women, or her mahrams (close relatives) like her brother or uncle, or her non-mahram relatives if they greet her, or her neighbors. All of this is permissible, provided she observes what Allah has made obligatory of modesty and hijab and avoiding seclusion. If the one who greeted her is not a mahram, then there should be no seclusion, and no uncovering of what Allah has forbidden. Rather, she should be veiled in her face and elsewhere, and be far from seclusion. She should have someone with her, so she does not remain alone with a non-mahram.

Question: Is it permissible for her to wear white clothes?

Answer: She wears clothes that have no beauty, no temptation. And white, if it is striped and has no temptation, and does not resemble men; there is no harm. And she may work in her house, like … in her house, cooking, sweeping her house, going up to the roof, to the moon at night, in the courtyard at night. Some of the common people say: Do not go out to the moon. This is from their ignorance and their error. There is no harm in walking in the moon at night, on her roof, or in her courtyard. And there is no harm in walking barefoot or wearing slippers, or barefoot, there is no harm. There is no harm in going to her garden in the house. The point is: she does everything that women do, except for these five things that I have explained.

Question: If she does not have a mahram in the house in which she was residing during her husband's life?

Answer: If she has someone to keep her company: her mother, or her maternal aunt, or her daughters; that is sufficient, and praise be to Allah.