A woman should not mourn for any dead person more than three days except her husband for whom she should mourn four months and ten days. She should not wear dyed clothes (while in mourning) except ‘Asb (an unattractive Yemeni garment), nor should she apply kohl or touch perfume, except when she becomes purified (from her menses), as she may then apply a little Qust or Azhfār (types of incense) It is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn for a deceased more than three [days], but for her husband, four months and ten days The wife of Thābit ibn Qays was separated from her husband by a Khul‘ during the time of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). So the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered her to observe a waiting period of one menstrual cycle Barīrah was instructed to observe an ‘Iddah of three menstrual cycles When a woman’s husband died, she would go into a small hut, wear her worst clothes and would not touch any kind of perfume until a whole year would pass. Then an animal – a donkey, bird, or sheep – would be brought to her and she would rub her skin with it Hadīth of Subay‘ah al-Aslamiyyah regarding ‘Iddah No, go and collect the harvest from your trees, for perhaps you will give (some of it in) charity or do a good deed with it Stay in your house until the term (of ‘Iddah) lapses. She said: So I spent my ‘Iddah therein (in her husband's house) for four months and ten days O Messenger of Allah, my husband has divorced me three times and I am afraid that my house will be broken into Do not confuse the Sunnah of our Prophet. The ‘Iddah of a mother-slave girl whose master dies is four months and ten (days) ‘Urwah ibn Az-Zubayr reported from ‘Ā’ishah that she took Hafsah bint ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Abu Bakr As-Siddīq into her house when she was in her third period A slave has two counts of divorce to discharge toward his free wife, who shall observe a waiting period of three menstrual cycles. A free man has two counts of divorce to discharge toward his slave wife, who shall observe a waiting period of two menstrual cycles A woman whose husband is missing and whose whereabouts is unknown to her must wait for four years and then observe the ‘Iddah (of a widow) for four months and ten days. After that, she is allowed to marry There should be no sexual intercourse with a pregnant woman until she gives birth, nor with a non-pregnant woman until she has one menstrual cycle