Waiting period of a Widow whose Husband is Absent

“About the case of a man who dies and leaves behind a widow and he is absent, one of the two Imam, (abu Ja‘far or abu ‘Abd Allah), ‘Alayhim al-Salam, has said, ‘She must commence her ‘Iddah (waiting period) from the day she receives the news of his death.’”

“About the case of a woman whose husband dies and who is absent, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Her waiting period begins from the day she is informed, regardless, there is proving evidence or not.’”

“About the case of a woman whose husband is absent when he dies, abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘She must count her waiting period from the day the news reaches her because she commences mourning for him.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘When a woman receives the news of the death of her husband, she must begin counting her waiting period and mourning for him.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a woman whose husband dies and he is absent and about when she must begin counting her waiting period. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is from the day the news reaches her. The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, said to women, “One of you would wait for one year, when her husband died and he was absent, hold back her carnal desires and throw it behind her.’””

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has stated this Hadith. ‘When a woman’s husband who is absent dies and evidence is established about it, then her waiting period is counted from the day the news reaches her up to four months and ten days. She must begin mourning for him for four months and ten days, thus, she must stay away from musk, kohl, perfumes and dyes.’”

“Abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’ (a.s.), has said, ‘A woman whose husband dies must begin counting her waiting period from the day the news reaches her as well as mourning for him.’”