Fatwa ID: 03162

Answered by: Maulana Naieem Mohammad​

Question:

Would it be permissible for a woman in Iddah to advertise herself on a Muslim marriage site to look for compatible matches, whilst stating that she is in Iddah and without taking/making any formal proposals until the Iddah period is over?

Answer:

In The Name Of Allah, The Most-Merciful, The Most Kind

“Iddah” literally refers to counting something or preparing oneself for a particular matter.[1]

In the shariah it refers to the compulsory waiting period for a woman when the correct reasons are found.[2]

There are two main actions which are prohibited during the Iddah period i.e. getting married and leaving the dwelling(without proper reasons or necessity).[3]

Let us consider the wisdom for the practice and establishment of Iddah in our perfect Deen;

1. Knowing whether the woman is pregnant or not.
2. Granting due respect to the previous Nikkah.(whether the husband has died or she was divorced).
3. The virtue of being a free woman.[4]

After pondering carefully upon the above reasons for Iddah we can conclude that it will not be permissible for the Muslim sister to place her “add” on the Muslim marriage site, this prohibition is because:

1. During the Iddah there may still be a possibility of the husband reconciling and returning her to the marriage if she was given a revocable divorce. It is surely a major sin to expose herself in this way whilst still engaged in marriage and under the authority of the previous husband.
2. There is also the possibility of her being pregnant from the previous marriage, even though she was given an irrevocable divorce or her husband has died. Thus if pregnancy is discovered then her Iddah timeframe will change, being pregnant also changes her status amongst possible suitors.
3. Marriage sites, social media etc. are treated similarly to mixing with the public, when a person is in search for a bride in the physical world outside of these sites he will usually ask for the name of the girl, her family background, habits, etc. You would find all such information on marriage sites, thus making them very similar to a person visiting or speaking with a female. A Muslim Sister in Iddah is not allowed to freely mix, there may be males on such a site who may show desire/intention for marriage with her and it will not be permissible for her to encourage proposals from Muslim men even though she may not reciprocate or reply to their requests.

Only Allah knows best

Written by Maulana Naieem Mohammad

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham