I am pregnant and my husband has died. When does my iddah end?

If you are pregnant, your iddah ends when you give birth, whether that comes soon or late; the four months and ten days do not apply.¹² All four schools hold this.³⁴⁵⁶ It ends with the birth of the whole pregnancy, so with twins, after the last.⁴

What the four schools say

All four schools agree that a pregnant widow’s iddah ends with the birth, an event and not a date. Ibn Qudāmah records that a few early scholars held the longer of the two terms, and that Ibn ʿAbbās is reported to have returned to the majority view.

Ḥanafī الحنفية

For a pregnant woman, after divorce or death, the iddah is the delivery of all of her pregnancy.³
Mālikī المالكية

The iddah of a pregnant woman, after death or divorce, is the delivery of all of her pregnancy, even a moment after the death; not part of it, whether one child or more.⁴
Shāfiʿī الشافعية

If the widow is pregnant, her iddah is the delivery, whether it comes soon or late.⁵
Ḥanbalī الحنابلة

Her iddah ends only with the delivery. The scholars agree that a pregnant widow’s term is the delivery, and even if she gave birth an hour after his death, she may marry.⁶

What can change this

Subayʿah al-Aslamiyyah gave birth a few days after her husband died, and the Prophet ﷺ allowed her to marry.²
History, not a school position: Ibn ʿAbbās, and a report from ʿAlī with a broken chain, held that she waits the longer of the two terms; Ibn ʿAbbās is reported to have returned to the majority view when he heard the ḥadīth of Subayʿah.⁶
Mourning (iḥdād) lasts as long as the iddah, so it too ends with the birth.⁷

Sources

1

Qurʾān, al-Ṭalāq 65:4

Open: Qurʾān, al-Ṭalāq 65:4 ↗checked Oct 18, 2026

Read the passage: source 1

وَٱلَّـٰٓـِٔى يَئِسْنَ مِنَ ٱلْمَحِيضِ مِن نِّسَآئِكُمْ إِنِ ٱرْتَبْتُمْ فَعِدَّتُهُنَّ ثَلَـٰثَةُ أَشْهُرٍ وَٱلَّـٰٓـِٔى لَمْ يَحِضْنَ ۚ وَأُو۟لَـٰتُ ٱلْأَحْمَالِ أَجَلُهُنَّ أَن يَضَعْنَ حَمْلَهُنَّ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مِنْ أَمْرِهِۦ يُسْرًا

And those who no longer expect menstruation among your women - if you doubt, then their period is three months, and [also for] those who have not menstruated. And for those who are pregnant, their term is until they give birth. And whoever fears Allāh - He will make for him of his matter ease.
2

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5320 · None shown on sunnah.com (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī)

Open: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5320 ↗checked Oct 18, 2026

Read the passage: source 2

Narrated Al-Miswer bin Makhrama: Subai'a Al-Aslamiya gave birth to a child a few days after the death of her husband. She came to the Prophet and asked permission to remarry, and the Prophet (ﷺ) gave her permission, and she got married.
3

Ibn ʿĀbidīn, Radd al-Muḥtār ʿalā al-Durr al-Mukhtār (Ḥanafī), Ḥalabī ed., 3:511

Open: Ibn ʿĀbidīn, Radd al-Muḥtār ʿalā al-Durr al-Mukhtār (Ḥanafī), Ḥalabī ed., 3:511 ↗checked Oct 18, 2026

Read the passage: source 3

(وَ) فِي حَقِّ (الْحَامِلِ) مُطْلَقًا وَلَوْ أَمَةً، أَوْ كِتَابِيَّةً، أَوْ مِنْ زِنًا بِأَنْ تَزَوَّجَ حُبْلَى مِنْ زِنًا وَدَخَلَ بِهَا ثُمَّ مَاتَ، أَوْ طَلَّقَهَا تَعْتَدُّ بِالْوَضْعِ جَوَاهِرُ الْفَتَاوَى (وَضْعُ) جَمِيعِ (حَمْلِهَا)

For the pregnant woman, in every case (divorce or death), the iddah is the delivery of all of her pregnancy.
4

al-Dardīr, al-Sharḥ al-Kabīr, with Ḥāshiyat al-Dasūqī (Mālikī), 2:474

Open: al-Dardīr, al-Sharḥ al-Kabīr, with Ḥāshiyat al-Dasūqī (Mālikī), 2:474 ↗checked Oct 18, 2026

Read the passage: source 4

(وَعِدَّةُ الْحَامِلِ) حُرَّةً أَوْ أَمَةً (فِي وَفَاةٍ أَوْ طَلَاقٍ وَضْعُ حَمْلِهَا كُلِّهِ) بَعْدَ الطَّلَاقِ أَوْ الْوَفَاةِ وَلَوْ بِلَحْظَةٍ لَا بَعْضِهِ وَاحِدًا كَانَ أَوْ مُتَعَدِّدًا

The iddah of a pregnant woman, free or not, after death or divorce, is the delivery of all of her pregnancy, even a moment after the divorce or death; not part of it, whether one child or more.
5

al-Nawawī, Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn (Shāfiʿī), 8:399

Open: al-Nawawī, Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn (Shāfiʿī), 8:399 ↗checked Oct 18, 2026

Read the passage: source 5

وسواء رأت في المدة دم حيض أم لم تره ، ولو مات الزوج والمرأة في عدة طلاقه ، فإن كانت رجعية ، سقطت عنها عدة الطلاق ، وانتقلت إلى عدة الوفاة ، حتى يلزمها الإحداد ولا تستحق النفقة ، وإن كانت بائنا أكملت عدة الطلاق ، ولها النفقة إذا كانت حاملا ، ولا تنتقل إلى عدة الوفاة حاملا كانت أو حائلا . أما إذا كانت المتوفى عنها حاملا ، فعدتها بوضع الحمل بشرطه السابق في عدة الطلاق ، وسواء تعجل الوضع أو تأخر

It is the same whether or not she sees menstrual blood in that time. If the husband dies while she is in his divorce iddah: if it was revocable, the divorce iddah drops and she moves to the death iddah, so mourning becomes binding; if it was final, she completes the divorce iddah and does not move to the death iddah. If the widow is pregnant, her iddah is the delivery, whether it comes soon or late.

2 more sources

6

Ibn Qudāmah, al-Mughnī (Ḥanbalī), Maktabat al-Qāhirah ed., 8:117–118

Open: Ibn Qudāmah, al-Mughnī (Ḥanbalī), Maktabat al-Qāhirah ed., 8:117–118 ↗checked Oct 18, 2026

Read the passage: source 6

وَهِيَ حَامِلٌ مِنْهُ، لَمْ تَنْقَضِ عِدَّتُهَا إلَّا بِوَضْعِ الْحَمْلِ، أَمَةً كَانَتْ أَوْ حُرَّةً … وَأَجْمَعُوا أَيْضًا عَلَى أَنَّ الْمُتَوَفَّى عَنْهَا زَوْجُهَا إذَا كَانَتْ حَامِلًا، أَجَلُهَا وَضْعُ حَمْلِهَا، إلَّا ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ مِنْ وَجْهٍ مُنْقَطِعٍ، أَنَّهَا تَعْتَدُّ بِأَقْصَى الْأَجَلَيْنِ … لَوْ وَضَعَتْ بَعْدَ سَاعَةٍ مِنْ وَفَاةِ زَوْجهَا، حَلَّ لَهَا أَنْ تَتَزَوَّجَ

If he divorces her or dies while she is pregnant by him, her iddah ends only with the delivery. The scholars agree that a pregnant widow’s term is the delivery, except Ibn ʿAbbās (and a report from ʿAlī with a broken chain) who held the longer of the two terms; Ibn ʿAbbās is reported to have returned to the majority view when he heard the ḥadīth of Subayʿah. The rest of the scholars said: even if she delivered an hour after her husband’s death, she may marry.
7

al-Dardīr, al-Sharḥ al-Kabīr, with Ḥāshiyat al-Dasūqī (Mālikī), 2:478

Open: al-Dardīr, al-Sharḥ al-Kabīr, with Ḥāshiyat al-Dasūqī (Mālikī), 2:478 ↗checked Oct 18, 2026

Read the passage: source 7

وَكَانَ الْإِحْدَادُ مِنْ مُتَعَلِّقَاتِ عِدَّةِ الْوَفَاةِ وَهُوَ تَرْكُ الْمَرْأَةِ الزِّينَةَ مُدَّةَ عِدَّةِ الْوَفَاةِ ذَكَرَهَا الْمُصَنِّفُ بِقَوْلِهِ (وَتَرَكَتْ) الْمَرْأَةُ (الْمُتَوَفَّى عَنْهَا) (فَقَطْ) لَا الْمُطَلَّقَةُ وُجُوبًا (وَإِنْ صَغُرَتْ) وَيَتَعَلَّقُ الْوُجُوبُ بِوَلِيِّهَا (وَلَوْ كِتَابِيَّةً) مَاتَ زَوْجُهَا الْمُسْلِمُ (وَمَفْقُودًا زَوْجُهَا) وَقَدْ حُكِمَ عَلَيْهِ بِالْمَوْتِ (التَّزْيِينَ بِالْمَصْبُوغِ) مِنْ الثِّيَابِ حَرِيرًا كَانَتْ أَوْ كَتَّانًا أَوْ قُطْنًا أَوْ صُوفًا (وَلَوْ) كَانَ (أَدْكَنَ) بِدَالِ مُهْمَلَةٍ لَوْنٌ فَوْقَ الْحُمْرَةِ وَدُونَ السَّوَادِ (إنْ وَجَدَتْ غَيْرَهُ) وَظَاهِرُهُ وَلَوْ بِبَيْعِهِ وَاسْتِخْلَافِ غَيْرِهِ (إلَّا الْأَسْوَدَ) فَلَا تَتْرُكُ لُبْسَهُ إلَّا إذَا كَانَتْ نَاصِعَةَ الْبَيَاضِ أَوْ كَانَ هُوَ زِينَةَ قَوْمٍ فَيَجِبُ تَرْكُهُ (وَ) تَرَكَتْ (التَّحَلِّيَ) أَيْ لُبْسَ الْحُلِيِّ مُطْلَقًا وَلَوْ خَاتَمًا مِنْ حَدِيدٍ وَوَجَبَ نَزْعُهُ … قَالَ فِي الْمُدَوَّنَةِ وَتَلْبَسُ الْبَيَاضَ كُلَّهُ رَقِيقَهُ وَغَلِيظَهُ قَالَ فِي التَّوْضِيحِ وَمَالَ غَيْرُ وَاحِدٍ إلَى الْمَنْعِ مِنْ رَقِيقِ الْبَيَاضِ، وَالْحَقُّ أَنَّ الْمَدَارَ فِي ذَلِكَ عَلَى الْعَوَائِدِ؛ وَلِذَا قَالَ فِي الْكَافِي: وَالصَّوَابُ أَنَّهُ لَا يَجُوزُ لُبْسُهَا لِشَيْءٍ تَتَزَيَّنُ بِهِ بَيَاضًا كَانَ أَوْ غَيْرَهُ

Iḥdād is the woman leaving adornment for the length of the death iddah. The widow alone (not the divorced woman) must leave it, even if young, even a Christian or Jewish wife of a Muslim: adornment with dyed clothes of any fabric, even dark brown, if she has others; except black, which she does not leave unless she is very fair-skinned or it is the adornment of her people, in which case she must leave it. She leaves all jewelry, even an iron ring, and removes it when the death occurs. Al-Mudawwanah: she may wear white, fine or coarse; some inclined to forbid fine white; the truth is that it depends on custom, and al-Kāfī says what is right is that she may not wear anything she adorns herself with, white or otherwise.

I am pregnant and my husband has died. When does my iddah end?

What the four schools say

Ḥanafī الحنفية

Mālikī المالكية

Shāfiʿī الشافعية

Ḥanbalī الحنابلة

What can change this

Sources

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