Abu Salamah bin Abdur Rahman narrates that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas and Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with them) were asked about the waiting period (‘iddah) of a woman whose husband has died and she is pregnant. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The longer of the two waiting periods will apply, while Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When she gives birth to the child, her waiting period ends. Abu Salamah bin Abdur Rahman went to Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) and asked her about this issue. She said: When Sayyidah Subai’ah Aslamiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) gave birth to her child half a month after her husband’s death, two men sent her marriage proposals. One of them was young and the other was somewhat older. The woman inclined towards marrying the young man. Seeing this situation, the older man said that she had not yet completed her waiting period. In fact, the woman’s family was not present there, and the older man hoped that when her family arrived, they would prefer him. Hearing his words, she went to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked for a ruling. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Your waiting period has ended, so you may marry whomever you wish.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Sayyidah Subai'ah bint Harith (may Allah be pleased with her) gave birth to a child fifteen days after the death of her husband. Abu Sanabil came to her and said: It seems that the thought of marriage is revolving in your heart; you will not be permitted to do so until you complete the longer of the two waiting periods. Hearing this, she went to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him about what Abu Sanabil had said. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Abu Sanabil is wrong; your waiting period has been completed. When a suitable or desirable proposal comes to you, come to me and inform me about it. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed her that her waiting period had been completed.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sanabil bin Ba’kkak (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyidah Subai’ah bint Harith gave birth to a child twenty-three or twenty-five days after the death of her husband. When the period of postnatal bleeding had passed, she expressed a desire to remarry, but this was objected to, and the matter was mentioned to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If that woman wishes to do so, she may, because her waiting period has been completed due to childbirth.

It is narrated from Abu Salamah bin Abdur Rahman, he says: I went to Sayyidah Subai’ah bint Abi Barzah Aslamiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) and asked her about her matter. She said: I was married to Sa’d bin Khawlah, he passed away, and only two months after his death I gave birth to a child. Meanwhile, Abu Sanabil bin Ba’kkak from Banu Abdud-Dar sent me a marriage proposal. I was ready to marry, when my brother-in-law came to me. I had applied henna and was fully prepared. He said: O Subai’ah, what do you intend to do? I said: I want to get married. He said: By Allah! You cannot marry yet, until you have completed the waiting period of four months and ten days. Subai’ah (may Allah be pleased with her) says: I went to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned this to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You have become lawful (halal), and you may marry.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ubayy ibn Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I asked the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): The waiting period (iddah) mentioned in the verse of the Qur'an {وَاُلاتُ الْاَحْمَالِ اَجَلُہُنَّ اَنْ یَضَعْنَ حَمْلَہُنَّ} is it for those women who have been given three divorces, or is it the waiting period for a widow? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: For both.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Amr bin Al-Aas (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: Do not confuse the Sunnah of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for us; when the husband of an umm walad passes away, her waiting period (‘iddah) will be four months and ten days.

Lady Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that a woman's husband died and her eye became diseased. Her family mentioned this matter to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and sought permission to apply kohl. They said, "We fear that her eye may be harmed." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "One of you women used to stay in her house in the worst clothes, in the worst place, for a whole year, and when a dog would pass by her, she would throw dung at it. Can she not now be patient for four months and ten days?"

It is narrated from Sayyida Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the ruling regarding a woman whose husband has passed away, that she should not wear yellow clothes dyed with safflower, nor clothes dyed with ochre (red clay), nor wear jewelry, nor apply henna, nor use kohl.

Sayyida Umm ‘Atiyyah Ansariyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: No woman should mourn over any deceased person for more than three days, except for her husband, for whose death a wife will mourn for four months and ten days. During this period, she should not wear dyed clothing, but she may wear clothing made of dyed yarn. She should neither apply kohl nor use perfume, except that after purification from menstruation, she may use Indian aloeswood or musk.

Lady Zainab bint Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that a very close relative of Umm al-Mu’minin Lady Umm Habibah (may Allah be pleased with her) passed away. Lady Umm Habibah (may Allah be pleased with her) called for yellow perfume, applied it to her arms, and said: I have done this because the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: It is not permissible for any Muslim woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to observe mourning for more than three days or three nights, except for a woman whose husband has died; she will observe mourning for him for four months and ten days. This narration was reported by Zainab from her mother Lady Umm Salamah, and she narrated it from Lady Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her) or from one of the Mothers of the Believers.