Question 890: What is the ruling on marrying a woman who is in her waiting period ('iddah)?

108 13 Feb 2021
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✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عَنْ أُدَیمٍ بَيَّاعِ الْهَرَوِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فِي حَدِيثٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: وَ الَّذِي يَتَزَوَّجُ الْمَرْأَةَ فِي عِدَّتِهَا وَ هُوَ يَعْلَمُ لَا تَحِلُّ لَهُ أَبَداً

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 426

Imam Sadiq (prayers of Allah be upon him) said: 'Whoever marries a woman during her waiting period while he knows (that she is in her 'iddah), she is not permissible for him forever (that woman becomes eternally forbidden for him)!'

2 عَنِ الْحَلَبِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: إِذَا تَزَوَّجَ الرَّجُلُ الْمَرْأَةَ فِي عِدَّتِهَا وَ دَخَلَ بِهَا لَمْ تَحِلَّ لَهُ أَبَداً عَالِماً كَانَ أَوْ جَاهِلًا وَ إِنْ لَمْ يَدْخُلْ بِهَا حَلَّتْ لِلْجَاهِلِ وَ لَمْ تَحِلَّ لِلْآخَرِ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 426

Imam Sadiq (prayers of Allah be upon him) said: 'If a man marries a woman during her waiting period and has intercourse with her, she becomes eternally forbidden for him, whether he is knowledgeable or ignorant.'

And if he is ignorant (of the woman being in her 'iddah or the prohibition of marriage during 'iddah), and if he has not had intercourse with her, she is permissible for the ignorant one (to marry her after separation and the completion of the previous 'iddah), and not permissible for the one who is not ignorant!'

3 عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْحَجَّاجِ عَنْ أَبِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَتَزَوَّجُ الْمَرْأَةَ فِي عِدَّتِهَا بِجَهَالَةٍ أَ هِيَ مِمَّنْ لَا تَحِلُّ لَهُ أَبَداً فَقَالَ لَا أَمَّا إِذَا كَانَ بِجَهَالَةٍ فَلْيَتَزَوَّجْهَا بَعْدَ مَا تَنْقَضِي عِدَّتُهَا وَ قَدْ يُعْذَرُ النَّاسُ فِي الْجَهَالَةِ بِمَا هُوَ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَقُلْتُ بِأَيِّ الْجَهَالَتَيْنِ يُعْذَرُ فَقَالَ إِحْدَى الْجَهَالَتَيْنِ أَهْوَنُ مِنَ الْأُخْرَى الْجَهَالَةُ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ حَرَّمَ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِ وَ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَى الِاحْتِيَاطِ مَعَهَا فَقُلْتُ وَ هُوَ فِي الْأُخْرَى مَعْذُورٌ قَالَ نَعَمْ إِذَا انْقَضَتْ عِدَّتُهَا فَهُوَ مَعْذُورٌ فِي أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَهَا فَقُلْتُ فَإِنْ كَانَ أَحَدُهُمَا مُتَعَمِّداً وَ الْآخَرُ بِجَهْلٍ فَقَالَ الَّذِي تَعَمَّدَ لَا يَحِلُّ لَهُ أَنْ يَرْجِعَ إِلَى صَاحِبِهِ أَبَداً

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 427

Abdurrahman said: 'I asked Imam Kadhim (prayers of Allah be upon him) about a man who, due to ignorance and not knowing, marries a woman in her 'iddah, is he one of those for whom that woman is not permissible forever?'

He said: 'No! If it is out of ignorance, he can marry her after her 'iddah is completed, and people are excused for their ignorance of something greater than this!'

I said: 'With which of the two ignorances are they excused?'

He said: 'One of the two ignorances is lighter than the other! And that is to be ignorant that Allah has forbidden this woman to him!!'

And its explanation is that in such a case, he is not able to be cautious!!

I said: 'Is he also excused in the other ignorance (i.e., ignorance of the woman being in her 'iddah)?'

He said: 'Yes! Provided that the woman's 'iddah is completed, he is excused to marry her!'

I said: 'What if one of them deliberately (marries during the 'iddah) and the other out of ignorance?'

He said: 'The one who did it deliberately is not permissible for him to return to the other party (with marriage) forever!'

4 عَنِ الْحَلَبِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّه قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْمَرْأَةِ الْحُبْلَى يَمُوتُ زَوْجُهَا فَتَضَعُ وَ تَزَوَّجُ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَمْضِيَ لَهَا أَرْبَعَةُ أَشْهُرٍ وَ عَشْراً فَقَالَ إِنْ كَانَ دَخَلَ بِهَا فُرِّقَ بَيْنَهُمَا وَ لَمْ تَحِلَّ لَهُ أَبَداً وَ اعْتَدَّتْ بِمَا بَقِيَ عَلَيْهَا مِنَ الْأَوَّلِ وَ اسْتَقْبَلَتْ عِدَّةً أُخْرَى مِنَ الْآخَرِ ثَلَاثَةَ قُرُوءٍ وَ إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ دَخَلَ بِهَا فُرِّقَ بَيْنَهُمَا وَ اعْتَدَّتْ بِمَا بَقِيَ عَلَيْهَا مِنَ الْأَوَّلِ وَ هُوَ خَاطِبٌ مِنَ الْخُطَّابِ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 427

Halabi said: 'I asked Imam Sadiq (prayers of Allah be upon him) about a pregnant woman whose husband dies and she then gives birth, and she marries before four months and ten days (i.e., the 'iddah of death) have passed;'

He said: 'If he has had intercourse with her, he should separate from her and she is never permissible for him again, and the woman should complete the rest of her previous 'iddah and observe an 'iddah of three menstrual cycles for this one. But if he has not had intercourse with her, they should be separated, and she should complete the remainder of the previous 'iddah, and after that, this man is also one of the suitors!'

5 عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي إِبْرَاهِيم بَلَغَنَا عَنْ أَبِيكَ أَنَّ الرَّجُلَ إِذَا تَزَوَّجَ الْمَرْأَةَ فِي عِدَّتِهَا لَمْ تَحِلَّ لَهُ أَبَداً فَقَالَ هَذَا إِذَا كَانَ عَالِماً فَإِذَا كَانَ جَاهِلًا فَارَقَهَا وَ تَعْتَدُّ ثُمَّ يَتَزَوَّجُهَا نِكَاحاً جَدِيداً.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 428

Ishaq ibn Ammar said: 'I said to Imam Kadhim (prayers of Allah be upon him): It has reached us from your father that if a man marries a woman during her 'iddah, she becomes eternally forbidden for him?'

He said: 'This is if he is knowledgeable (that the woman is in her 'iddah or that marriage during 'iddah is forbidden), so if he is ignorant, he should separate from her and the woman should complete her 'iddah, and then he can marry her in a new marriage!'

6 عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: فِي رَجُلٍ نَكَحَ امْرَأَةً وَ هِيَ فِي عِدَّتِهَا قَالَ يُفَرَّقُ بَيْنَهُمَا ثُمَّ تَقْضِي عِدَّتَهَا فَإِنْ كَانَ دَخَلَ بِهَا فَلَهَا الْمَهْرُ بِمَا اسْتَحَلَّ مِنْ فَرْجِهَا وَ يُفَرَّقُ بَيْنَهُمَا وَ إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ دَخَلَ بِهَا فَلَا شَيْ ءَ لَهَا

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 428

Imam Sadiq (prayers of Allah be upon him) said about a man who marries a woman during her 'iddah: 'They should be separated, and then the woman should complete her 'iddah, and if the man has had intercourse with her, she will be entitled to her dowry because of the permissibility of her private part, and if he has not had intercourse with her, she gets nothing!'

7 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَتَزَوَّجُ الْمَرْأَةَ فِي عِدَّتِهَا قَالَ إِنْ كَانَ دَخَلَ بِهَا فُرِّقَ بَيْنَهُمَا وَ لَمْ تَحِلَّ لَهُ أَبَداً وَ أَتَمَّتْ عِدَّتَهَا مِنَ الْأَوَّلِ وَ عِدَّةً أُخْرَى مِنَ الْآخَرِ وَ إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ دَخَلَ بِهَا فُرِّقَ بَيْنَهُمَا وَ أَتَمَّتْ عِدَّتَهَا مِنَ الْأَوَّلِ وَ كَانَ خَاطِباً مِنَ الْخُطَّابِ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 428

Muhammad ibn Muslim said: 'I asked Imam Baqir (prayers of Allah be upon him) about a man who marries a woman during her 'iddah;' He said: 'If he has had intercourse with her, they should be separated, and she is never permissible for him again, and that woman completes the rest of her first 'iddah and observes another 'iddah from this one, and if he has not had intercourse with her, they should be separated, and the woman completes the rest of her previous 'iddah from that first husband, and this man is one of the suitors!'

✅ From the sum of the above narrations and others, it is clear that marrying a woman who is in her 'iddah is forbidden and leads to the annulment of the contract and the necessity of separation between them!

However, if both the man and the woman are ignorant that marriage during 'iddah is forbidden or are ignorant that the woman is in her 'iddah and they marry, whenever this is discovered, they must be separated immediately! And they can only marry again in one case, which is if both were ignorant of the 'iddah or the prohibition of marriage during 'iddah at the time of marriage and no intercourse has occurred.

But if intercourse has occurred, whether they were knowledgeable or ignorant, they must be separated and they can never marry each other again!

Likewise, if one of them is knowledgeable of the prohibition of marriage or of the woman being in her 'iddah and they marry, they must be separated, and the one who was knowledgeable becomes eternally forbidden to the other party, in which case these two can never marry each other.

✅ According to the above narrations, if a woman is married during her 'iddah and intercourse occurs, they must be separated immediately, and the woman should complete the 'iddah of the previous husband and observe a 'iddah of divorce for three menstrual cycles for this second one. But if intercourse has not occurred, only the completion of the rest of the 'iddah of the previous husband is sufficient, and after that, the woman can marry someone who is permissible for her.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ