The Book of Divorce

I went to Umm Habiba, the wife of Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ), when her father Abu Sufyan had died. Umm Habiba sent for a perfume having yellowness in it or something else like it, and she applied it to a girl and then rubbed it on her cheeks and then said: By Allah, I need no perfume but for the fact that I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) say on the pulpit:” It is not permissible for a woman believing in Allah and the Hereafter to mourn for the dead beyond three days, but (in case of the death) of the husband it is permissible for four months and ten days.” Zainab said: I then visited Zainab hint Jahsh (Allah be pleased with her) when her brother died and she sent for perfume and applied it and then said: By Allah, I don’t feel any need for the perfume but that I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) say on the pulpit:” It is not permissible for a woman believing in Allah and the Hereafbler to mourn the dead beyond three days except in case of her husband (for whom she can mourn) for four months and ten days.” Zainab (Allah be pleased with her) said: I heard my mother Umm Salama (Allah be pleased with her) as saying: A woman came to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and said: Allah’s Messenger. I have a daughter whose husband has died and there has developed some trouble in her eye; should we apply collyrium to it? Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: No (repeating it twice or thrice, saying only, NO” all the time). Then he said: It is only four mouths and ten days, whereas in the preIslamic period none of you threw away the dung until one year had passed. Humaid said: I said to Zainab: What is this throwing of dung until a year is passed? Zainab said: When the husband of a woman died, she went into a hut and put on her worst clothes, and did not apply perfume or something like it until a year was over. Then an animal like a donkey, or a goat, or a bird was brought to her and she rubbed her hand over it, and it so happened that one on which she rubbed her hand died. She then came out of her house and she was given dung and she threw it and then she made use of anything like perfume or something else as she liked.

I, am doing it, for I have heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying: It is not permissible for a woman believing in Allah and the Hereafter to mourn beyond three days except the husband (for whom she can mourn) for four months and ten days.

This hadith was narrated by Zainab from her mother and from Zainab, the wife of Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ), or from some other lady from among the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ).

One among you used to spend one year in a dungeon dressed in worst clothes. (And at the end of this period) she threw dung at the dog which happened to pass that way and then she came out (of her ‘Idda). Can’t she (wait) even for four months and ten days?

Humaid b. Nafi’ narrated two traditions from Umm Salama dealing with collyrium and the other hadith from the wives of Allah’s Prophet (ﷺ) except with this that no mention was made of Zainab.

Umm Salama and Umm Habiba (Allah be pleased with them) were talking with each other (and saying) that a woman came to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and mentioned to him that her daughter had lost her husband, and her eyes were sore and she wnted to use collyrium, whereupon Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: One among you used to throw dung at the end of a year, and now (this abstinence from adornment) is only for four months and ten days.

I had in fact no need of it, but I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: It is not permissible for the women believing in Allah and the Hereafter to abstain from adornment beyond three days except (at the death of) husband (in which case she must abstain from adornment) for four months and ten days.

It is not permissible for a woman believing in Allah and the Hereafter (or believing in Allah and His Messenger) that she should observe mourning for the dead beyond three days except in case of her husband.

A hadith like this is transmitted on the authority of Nafi’.

” She should abstain from adorning herself (in case of the death of her husband) for four months and ten days.”

Safiyya bint Abu ‘Ubaid narrated this tradition of Allah’s Prophet (ﷺ) on the authority of some wives of Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ)

It is not permissible for a woman believing in Allah and the Hereafter to observe mourning on the dead for more than three (days), except in case of her husband.

A woman must not observe mouriaing for one who had died for more than three (days) except for four months and ten days in the case of her husband. and she must not wear a dyed garment except one of the types made of dyed yarn, or apply collyrium, or touch perfume except a little perfume or incense, when she has been purified after her courses.

A hadith like this has been narrated on the authority of Hisham with the same chain of narrators but with a slight variation of words.

We were forbidden to observe mourning for the dead beyond three days except in the case of husband (where it is permissible) for four months and ten days, and (that during this period) we should neither use collyrium nor touch perfume, nor wear dyed clothes, but concession was given to a woman when one of us was purified of our courses to make use of a little incense or scent.