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When does the widow’s iddah end after husband’s death on 1st Shawwal at 08:30 am?

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Darulifta-Deoband.com
If the husband expires on 1st Shawwal at 08:30 am, when the iddah time will be completed for his widow woman? Please reply with date (if possible). It is narrated that iddah tenure is four months and ten nights for a widow woman. Need clarity on following:
1. Will the counting starts from the day of death i.e. 1st Shawwal or the next day i.e. 2nd of Shawwal month.
2. Four months are counted as per Islamic calendar month subject to appearing of moon, or simply calculated on 30 days per month basis.
3. Suppose it completes on 11th Safar, timings to complete the iddah tenure will relate to timing of the death of husband or it is just after Fajr prayers/start of the next day.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

(Fatwa: 223/222/N=01/1435)

(1) If the husband died on the first day of Islamic calendar whether in the night or day and the woman is not pregnant then the iddah of the wife shall be four lunar months and ten days as per the Islamic calendar, whether the month is of 29 days or 30 days.
قال فى الهندية (كتاب الطلاق الباب الثالث عشر فى العدة: 1:527 ط مكتبة زكريا ديوبند): إذا وجبت العدة بالشهور فى الطلاق والوفاة فإن اتفق ذلك في غرة الشهر اعتبرت الشهور بالأهلة وإن نقص العدد عن ثلاثين يوما وإن اتفق ذلك في خلاله …… كذا فى المحيط ، لو طلق امرأته وقت العصر من أول يوم من الشهر وهي ممن تعتد بالأشهر تعتبر عدتها بالأهلة ، ومضي بعض اليوم لا يوجب تكملة بالأيام بخلاف اليوم الثاني والثالث كذا فى الفتاوى الصغرى اهـ ومثله فى بهشتى زيور مدلل (4:63) واحسن الفتاوى (5: 448، 449) وغيرهما .
It should be noted that minutes and hours are counted during iddah. (Ahsan al-Fatawa 5:449)
Hence in the question mentioned above the iddah of the widow completed on 11 Safar at the same time i.e. 8 am when the husband died.
(2) It is correct that days are also considered in iddah along with the nights.
كذا في رد المحتار (5: 188 ط مكتبة زكريا ديوبند)
(3 & 4) See the answer no 1.

Allah knows Best!

Darul Ifta,
Darul Uloom Deoband

This answer was collected from the official ifta website of Darul Uloom Deoband in India.

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