For Men
- If your wife dies or you have divorced her (validly) you can immediately remarry another woman.
- If you want to remarry your wife after divorcing her you have to follow certain procedures.
For Women
- If your husband has died or you are no longer married to him through valid procedures of divorce and you want to marry another man then you have to follow certain conditions:
Iddat
- The wife cannot remarry immediately but has to wait for a certain period known as ‘iddat’.
- It is the period during which a Muslim woman cannot marry another man or have sexual intercourse with anyone.
- When your husband dies, you will have to observe an iddat period of four months and ten days from the date of your husband’s death.
- When you divorce your husband (and he doesn’t die) then the iddat period is three months from the date your husband says the word ‘talaq’. If you are pregnant during this iddat period, then until the date of delivery.
If you are pregnant during this iddat period, then after your child has been born your iddat period will begin.