Q: I have a friend and her family relations were not good since 2-3 years. Her dad divorced her mom 90 days ago. Today, after 90 days have been completed and she kept that divorce as a secret and didn’t tell her daughter because she doesn’t want to see her cry. What should she do now? Her father called today and said 90 days are over, what you want now? Is her mother’s iddat considered? She didn’t know that she has been divorced. What should we all do for her.
A: In the case of talaaq, the iddat of a woman who experiences haidh is the passing of three haidh. The iddat of a woman who does not experience haidh (e.g. an old woman experiencing menopause) is the passing of three lunar months. Hence, if the iddat period has passed from the time of the talaaq, the iddat has terminated even though she was unaware of the divorce.
And Allah Ta’ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
Answered by:
Mufti Zakaria Makada
Checked & Approved:
Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)