Question 1044: Where should a divorced woman spend her waiting period ('iddah')?

68 13 Feb 2021
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✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عَنِ الْحَلَبِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْداللَّهِ قَالَ: لَا يَنْبَغِي لِلْمُطَلَّقَةِ أَنْ تَخْرُجَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ زَوْجِهَا حَتَّى تَنْقَضِيَ عِدَّتُهَا ثَلَاثَةُ قُرُوءٍ أَوْ ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْهُرٍ إِنْ لَمْ تَحِضْ.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 6, p. 89

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: It is not appropriate for a divorced woman to go out except with the permission of her husband until her waiting period of three menstruations or, if she does not menstruate, three months is completed!

2 عَنْ سَمَاعَةَ بْنِ مِهْرَانَ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْمُطَلَّقَةِ أَيْنَ تَعْتَدُّ فَقَالَ فِي بَيْتِهَا لَا تَخْرُجُ الْحَدِيثَ.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 6, p. 90

Sama'ah said: I asked the Imam (Sadiq, peace be upon him) about a divorced woman, where should she spend the 'iddah'? He said: In her house, she does not go out!

3 عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْمُطَلَّقَةِ أَيْنَ تَعْتَدُّ فَقَالَ فِي بَيْتِ زَوْجِهَا.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 6, p. 91

Ishaq ibn Ammar said: I asked Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, about a divorced woman, where should she spend the 'iddah'? He said: In her husband's house!

4 عَنْ أَبِي الصَّبَّاحِ الْكِنَانِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْداللَّه قَالَ: تَعْتَدُّ الْمُطَلَّقَةُ فِي بَيْتِهَا وَ لَا يَنْبَغِي لِلزَّوْجِ إِخْرَاجُهَا وَ لَا تَخْرُجُ هِيَ.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 6, p. 91

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: A divorced woman spends her 'iddah' in her house (i.e., her husband's house) and it is not appropriate for the husband to expel her and she also does not go out!

5 عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَحَدِهِمَا فِي الْمُطَلَّقَةِ أَيْنَ تَعْتَدُّ فَقَالَ فِي بَيْتِهَا إِذَا كَانَ طَلَاقاً لَهُ عَلَيْهَا رَجْعَةٌ لَيْسَ لَهُ أَنْ يُخْرِجَهَا وَ لَا لَهَا أَنْ تَخْرُجَ حَتَّى تَنْقَضِيَ عِدَّتُهَا.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 6, p. 91

Abu Basir asked Imam Baqir or Imam Sadiq, peace be upon them, about a divorced woman, where should she spend the 'iddah'? He said: If the divorce is 'raj'i' (revocable), she spends the 'iddah' in her house, the man does not have the right and cannot expel her and the woman also cannot go out until her 'iddah' is completed!

6 عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي خَلَفٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ مُوسَى عَنْ شَيْءٍ مِنَ الطَّلَاقِ فَقَالَ إِذَا طَلَّقَ الرَّجُلُ امْرَأَتَهُ طَلَاقاً لَا يَمْلِكُ فِيهِ الرَّجْعَةَ فَقَدْ بَانَتْ مِنْهُ سَاعَةَ طَلَّقَهَا وَ مَلَكَتْ نَفْسَهَا وَ لَا سَبِيلَ لَهُ عَلَيْهَا وَ تَعْتَدُّ حَيْثُ شَاءَتْ وَ لَا نَفَقَةَ لَهَا...

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 6, p. 90

Sa'd ibn Abi Khalaf said: I asked Imam Kazim, peace be upon him, about something concerning divorce; He said: When a man divorces his wife with a divorce in which he does not have the right to revoke, she has become 'ba'in' (irrevocable) from him at the very hour he divorced her and that woman owns herself and there is no way for that man over her and she spends her 'iddah' wherever she wants..

7 عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ الْجُعْفِيِّ عَنْ أَحَدِهِمَا قَالَ: الْمُبَارَأَةُ تَطْلِيقَةٌ بَائِنٌ وَ لَيْسَ فِيهَا رَجْعَةٌ

📚 Al-Tahdheeb, vol. 8, p. 101

Imam Baqir or Imam Sadiq, peace be upon them, said: The 'mubarat' divorce is an 'irrevocable' divorce and there is no return in it!

8 عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ سِرْحَانَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْداللَّه قَالَ: فِي الْمُخْتَلِعَةِ قَالَ عِدَّتُهَا عِدَّةُ الْمُطَلَّقَةِ وَ تَعْتَدُّ فِي بَيْتِهَا وَ الْمُخْتَلِعَةُ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْمُبَارِئَةِ.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 6, p. 144

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said about a woman who asks for 'khul' (divorce for a consideration): Her 'iddah' is the 'iddah' of divorce and she spends the 'iddah' in her house and the woman who asks for 'khul' is like a 'mubara'ah' woman (who asks for a divorce by mutual consent)!

✅ Based on the above narrations and others, in a 'raj'i' (revocable) divorce, the woman must spend her 'iddah' in the same house of her husband where she resided, and neither the man has the right to expel her nor does the woman have the right to go out without the husband's permission.

Of course, in the event of an 'explicit indecency' and a few other cases, the man has the option of expelling her, which is mentioned in the narrations.

But in an 'irrevocable' divorce like 'khul'' and 'mubarat', the woman spends her 'iddah' in the husband's house or wherever she wants and there is no obligation for her to stay in her husband's house and after the divorce, she can go to her father's house or wherever she wants and spend her 'iddah'.

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