✅ Answer: Pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عَنْ حَمَّادٍ عَنِ الْحَلَبِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّه قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يُطَلِّقُ امْرَأَتَهُ وَ هُوَ غَائِبٌ عَنْهَا مِنْ أَيِّ يَوْمٍ تَعْتَدُّ فَقَالَ إِنْ قَامَتْ لَهَا بَيِّنَةُ عَدْلٍ أَنَّهَا طُلِّقَتْ فِي يَوْمٍ مَعْلُومٍ وَ تَيَقَّنَتْ فَلْتَعْتَدَّ مِنْ يَوْمَ طُلِّقَتْ وَ إِنْ لَمْ تَحْفَظْ فِي أَيِّ يَوْمٍ وَ فِي أَيِّ شَهْرٍ فَلْتَعْتَدَّ مِنْ يَوْمِ يَبْلُغُهَا.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 110

Halabi said: I asked Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, about a man who divorces his wife while he is absent from her, from which day should the woman observe the waiting period? The Imam said: If a just witness is established that he divorced her on a certain day and she is certain, she begins the waiting period from the very day she was divorced. And if she does not know on which day and month the divorce took place, she begins the waiting period from the day the news (of the divorce) reaches her.

2 عَنْ زُرَارَةَ وَ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ وَ بُرَيْدِ بْنِ مُعَاوِيَةَ كُلِّهِمْ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ فِي الْغَائِبِ إِذَا طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ فَإِنَّهَا تَعْتَدُّ مِنَ الْيَوْمِ الَّذِي طَلَّقَهَا.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 110

Imam Baqir, peace be upon him, regarding an absent man who divorces his wife, said: The woman calculates and begins the waiting period from the day the man divorced her.

3 عَنِ الْعَلَاءِ بْنِ رَزِينٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَحَدِهِمَا فِي الرَّجُلِ يَمُوتُ وَ تَحْتَهُ امْرَأَةٌ وَ هُوَ غَائِبٌ قَالَ تَعْتَدُّ مِنْ يَوْمِ يَبْلُغُهَا وَفَاتُهُ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 112

Imam Baqir or Imam Sadiq, peace be upon them, regarding an absent man who dies while he has a wife, said: The woman begins the waiting period (of death) from the day the news of the man's death reaches her!

4 عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ أُذَيْنَةَ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ وَ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ وَ بُرَيْدِ بْنِ مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: فِي الْغَائِبِ عَنْهَا زَوْجُهَا إِذَا تُوُفِّيَ قَالَ الْمُتَوَفَّى عَنْهَا تَعْتَدُّ مِنْ يَوْمِ يَأْتِيهَا الْخَبَرُ لِأَنَّهَا تُحِدُّ عَلَيْهِ

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 112

Imam Baqir, peace be upon him, regarding a woman whose husband dies while he is absent, said: A woman whose husband dies begins the waiting period from the day the news of his death reaches her, because she observes a mourning period (i.e., refrains from adornment with specific rules) for her husband.

✅ It is completely clear from the above narrations and similar ones that the waiting period for divorce begins exactly from the day of the divorce, and a woman who is required to observe the waiting period is not allowed to marry until the waiting period is over, even if her husband has been separated from her for years and they have had no contact.

✅ The rule for the waiting period for death is different, and the waiting period for death must begin from the day the news of the husband's death reaches the woman, even if months and years have passed since the husband's death, because the duty of mourning, i.e., refraining from adornment with specific rules, is incumbent upon the woman.

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