After a divorce, the Qur’an appoints the iddah: “Divorced women shall wait concerning themselves for three quru'” (Al-Baqarah 2:228). This page covers how that period is counted, the cases that change it, and what the iddah of divorce uniquely makes possible — reconciliation without a new marriage contract.
The Durations
Three quru’ for a woman with monthly cycles. The schools differ on the word quru’ — the Hanafi and Hanbali schools count three menstruations, the Shafi’i and Maliki schools three periods of purity — which is why the end date genuinely depends on her cycles, not on a calendar (administrative systems approximate it as 90 days). Three months for a woman without cycles, whether young or past menopause (At-Talaq 65:4). Until childbirth if she is pregnant (65:4). No iddah at all if the divorce came before the marriage was consummated (Al-Ahzab 33:49).
Iddah Calculator
The Door That Stays Open
In a first or second divorce (talaq raj’i), the iddah is precisely the window in which the husband may take his wife back — “their husbands have more right to take them back in that period, if they desire reconciliation” (2:228) — with no new contract or mahr needed. This is why the sunnah keeps the divorced wife in the marital home during the iddah (At-Talaq 65:1): the arrangement itself invites reconsideration. After a third divorce, or once the iddah ends, return requires the conditions the Qur’an sets out.
Khula and Other Cases
In khula (separation initiated by the wife with return of the mahr), the Prophet ﷺ instructed the wife of Thabit ibn Qays to observe one menstrual cycle (Sunan at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa’i) — the position of a group of scholars, while the majority hold she observes the normal divorce iddah of three quru’; both positions are established, so a woman in khula should follow her local scholar’s guidance. An annulled marriage (faskh) carries the divorce iddah. And a revocable divorce that is followed by the husband’s death during the iddah converts it to the widow’s iddah of four months and ten days — for that case, see the widowhood iddah guide.
Yes. The narrations instruct one menstrual cycle, which a group of scholars follow, while the majority apply the standard three quru’ of divorce. Both are established positions – follow trusted local guidance. In a revocable divorce, the Qur’an instructs that she remain in the marital home and not be expelled from it (At-Talaq 65:1) – the proximity itself serves the door of reconciliation. In a first or second divorce, yes – the husband may take his wife back within the iddah with no new contract (2:228). After the iddah ends, a new contract with her consent is required.Does a woman have iddah after khula?
Where does the divorced woman spend her iddah?
Can the couple reconcile during the iddah?