Iddah (العدة) is the waiting period a Muslim woman observes after her marriage ends — whether by divorce or by the death of her husband — before she may remarry. Its rules come directly from the Qur’an, its duration changes with the situation, and this page lays out every case with its source, along with a calculator that estimates the end date.
What Does Iddah Mean?
The word comes from the Arabic root for counting (‘adda) — iddah is literally “the counted period,” because a woman counts it in menstrual cycles, months, or until a birth. In fiqh it is defined as the prescribed waiting time during which a woman does not remarry, so that any pregnancy from the previous marriage becomes known, the lineage of children is protected, and — in divorce — a door remains open for the couple to return to each other.
How Long Is Iddah? Every Case
| Situation | Duration | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Husband passed away (not pregnant) | 4 months and 10 days | Al-Baqarah 2:234 |
| Divorce (has monthly cycles) | Three quru’ (cycles) | Al-Baqarah 2:228 |
| Divorce (no cycles — young or menopause) | Three months | At-Talaq 65:4 |
| Pregnant (death or divorce) | Until the child is born | At-Talaq 65:4 |
| Divorced before consummation | No iddah | Al-Ahzab 33:49 |
Estimate the End Date
Iddah Calculator
The Two Kinds of Iddah
The details differ enough that we cover each in its own guide: the iddah of widowhood — which includes the mourning (hidad) rules and the questions widows most often ask — and the iddah of divorce, which covers talaq, khula, and how the cycles are counted. Untuk pembaca Indonesia, panduan lengkap tersedia di halaman masa iddah.
The Wisdom Behind It
The Qur’an attaches iddah to realities, not formalities: certainty about pregnancy and lineage, an appointed space for grief after a husband’s death, and in revocable divorce a built-in period in which “their husbands have more right to take them back” (2:228) — many marriages are repaired precisely inside the iddah. It is a protection for the woman, the child, and the marriage itself.
No. The Qur’an states that if a divorce occurs before the marriage was consummated, there is no iddah at all (Al-Ahzab 33:49). This applies to divorce; for widowhood the iddah applies regardless. From the moment of the divorce pronouncement or the husband’s death — not from when the news reaches the woman. If she learns late, the remaining days are counted from the original date. By the lunar (hijri) calendar, as with all Islamic time rulings. Administrative systems commonly approximate the widow’s iddah as 130 days.Does iddah apply if the marriage was never consummated?
When does the iddah start counting?
Is iddah counted by the lunar or solar calendar?