"Whoever wants, I will meet and debate with him and invoke the curse of Allah upon those who lie. The Verse: 'And for those who are pregnant (whether they are divorced or their husbands are dead), their 'Iddah (prescribed period) is until they lay down their burden.' was only revealed after the Verse about women whose husbands die. 'When a woman whose husband has died gives birth, it becomes permissible for her to marry.'" This is the wording of Maimun (one of the narrators).

"She was in a remote house. She came with her brothers to the Messenger of Allah and told him (about the situation) and he granted her a concession. When she was leaving he called her back and said: 'Stay in your house until the term prescribed is fulfilled.'"

"I entered upon Umm Habibah, the wife of the Prophet, when her father Abu Sufyan bin Harb died. Umm Habibah called for some perfume and put some on a young girl, then she put some on her cheeks. Then she said: 'By Allah, I do not have any need for perfume but I heard the Messenger of Allah say: It is not permissible for any woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn for anyone who dies for more than three days, except for a husband, (for whom the mourning period is) four months and ten days.'"

"Then I went into Zainab bint Jahsh when her brother died, and she called for some perfume and put some on. Then she said: 'By Allah, I do not have any need for perfume but I heard the Messenger of Allah say on the Minbar: It is not permissible for any woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn for anyone who dies for more than three days, except for a husband, (for whom the mourning period is) four months and ten days.'"

"I heard Umm Salamah say: 'A woman came to the Messenger of Allah and said: O Messenger of Allah, my daughter's husband has died and she has a problem in her eye; can I put kohl on her? The Messenger of Allah said: No. Then he said: It is four months and ten days. During the Jahiliyyah one of you would throw a piece of dung at the end of the year.'" Humaid said: "I said to Zainab: 'What is this throwing a piece of dung at the end of the year?' She said: 'If a woman's husband died, she would enter a small room (Hifsh) and wear her worst clothes, and she would not put on perfume or anything until a year. Then an animal would be brought, a donkey or sheep or bird, and she would end her 'Iddah with it (clean herself with it), and usually any animal used for that purpose would die. Then she would come out and would be given a piece of dung which she would throw, then she would go back to whatever she wanted of perfume, etc.'" In the narration of Muhammad (bin Salamah) Malik said: Hifsh means hut.

"The woman whose husband has died should not wear clothes that are dyed with safflower or red clay, and she should not use dye nor kohl."

"A woman from the Quraish came and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, my daughter's eyes are inflamed; shall I apply kohl to her?' (The daughter's) husband had died so (the Prophet) said: 'Not until four months and ten days (have passed).' Then she said: 'I fear for her sight.' He said: 'No, not until four months and ten days (have passed). During the Jahiliyyah one of you would mourn for her husband for a year, then when one year had passed she would throw a piece of dung.'"

It was narrated from Hafsah, from Umm 'Atiyyah, from the Prophet, that he granted a concession to the woman whose husband has died, allowing her to use Qust and Azfar when purifying herself following her menses.

"And those of you who die and leave behind wives should bequeath for their wives a year's maintenance and residence without turning them out," that he said: "This was abrogated by: 'And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they (the wives) shall wait (as regards their marriage) for four months and ten days.'"

A similar report was narrated from Safiyyah bint Abi 'Ubaid from one of the wives of the Prophet -and she is Umm Salamah- from the Prophet.

"It was said to Ibn 'Abbas concerning a woman who gives birth one day after her husband died: 'Can she get married?' He said: 'No, not until the longer of the two periods has ended.' He said: 'Allah says: And for those who are pregnant (whether they are divorced or their husbands are dead), their 'Iddah (prescribed period) is until they lay down their burden.' He said: 'That only applies in the case of divorce.' Abu Hurairah said: 'I agree with my brother's son' --meaning, Abu Salamah. He sent his slave Kuraib and told him: 'Go to Umm Salamah and ask her: Was this the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah?' He came back and said: 'Yes, Subai'ah Al-Aslamiyyah gave birth twenty days after her husband died, and the Messenger of Allah told her to get married, and Abu As-Sanabil was one of those who proposed marriage to her.'"

"She should observe 'Iddah for the longer of the two periods." Abu Salamah said: "No, it becomes permissible for her to marry when she has given birth." Abu Hurairah said: "I agree with my brother's son." So they sent word to Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet, and she said: "Subai'ah Al-Aslamiyyah gave birth shortly after her husband died; she consulted the Messenger of Allah and he told her to get married."

"Subai'ah gave birth a few days after her husband died, and the Messenger of Allah told her to get married."

"(She should wait) for the longer of the two periods." Abu Salamah said: "When she has given birth, it becomes permissible for her to remarry." Abu Hurairah came and said: "I agree with my brother's son" -meaning Abu Salamah bin 'Abdur-Rahman. They sent Kuraib, the freed slave of Ibn 'Abbas, to Umm Salamah to ask her about that. He came back to them and told them that she said: "Subai'ah gave birth one day after her husband died;" she mentioned that to the Messenger of Allah and he said: "It has become permissible for you to marry."

"Ibn 'Abbas, Abu Hurairah and I were together, and Ibn 'Abbas said: 'If a woman gives birth after her husband dies, her 'Iddah is the longer of the two periods.'" Abu Salamah said: "We sent Kuraib to Umm Salamah to ask her about that. He came to us and told us from her that the husband of Subai'ah died and she gave birth a few days after her husband died, and the Messenger of Allah told her to get married."

"While Abu Hurairah and I were with Ibn 'Abbas, a woman came and said that her husband had died while she was pregnant, then she had given birth less than four months after the day he died. Ibn 'Abbas said: '(You have to wait) for the longer of the two periods.'" Abu Salamah said: "A man from among the Companions of the Prophet told me that Subai'ah Al-Aslamiyyah came to the Messenger of Allah and said that her husband died while she was pregnant, and she gave birth less than four months after he died. The Messenger of Allah told her to get married. Abu Hurairah said: 'And I bear witness to that.'"

It was narrated from 'Abdullah that the shorter Surah, that speaks of women (At-Talaq), was revealed after Al-Baqarah.

"It is not permissible for a woman to mourn for anyone who dies for more than three days, except for her husband."

"I am not living in a house that belongs to him, and I do not receive maintenance from him; should I move to my family with my two orphans and stay with them?" He said: "Do that." Then he said: "What did you say?" So she told him again and he said: "Observe your 'Iddah where the news came to you."

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'No woman should mourn for anyone who dies for more than three days, except for a husband, for whom she should mourn for four months and ten days. She should not wear garments that are dyed or patterned, or put on kohl or comb her hair, and she should not put on any perfume except when purifying herself after her period, when she may use a little of Qust or Azfar.'"