Fatwa ID: 05427

Answered by: Alimah Sofia Mirza

Question

I have a question about iddah, divorce. One sister separated from her husband 4 years ago. Have no kids. Now she got divorced a month ago. She is already in iddah. Now she has an unregular period (Haid). sometimes 7,5monthes she has no period. Now in this situation how she counts her iddah.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

For a woman who does not get her period and is in Iddah, her waiting period will be three months as per the average period cycle. If she had her period for 3 months and then the periods stopped her Iddah will be complete, however, if she saw her period for a few days only her Iddah will also be counted by 3-period cycles even if there is a gap between the periods  [1]. Hence in your situation, if she completed the three periods in the three months her Iddah is now complete or if her period is irregular, she will have to wait for 3-period cycles to finish even if there are few months between the period cycles and the Iddah will be counted by the periods.

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Alimah Sofia Mirza

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

[1] Fatawa al Hindiyyah, Darul Kutub al Ilmiyyah, Vol 1, Pg.552,553.