Iddah calculator, when the waiting period ends.
Choose divorce or the death of the husband, enter the date and a few details, and see when the iddah is expected to end, with the Hanafi rules first and the other madhhabs one tap away.
Madhhab
At a glance
- Divorce, periods
- 3 periods
- Divorce, no periods
- 3 months
- Husband died
- 4 months 10 days
- Pregnant
- Until the birth
- Before consummation
- None after divorce
Nothing you type leaves this device. This is guidance only, to help you understand the rules. Every case has details, so please confirm your iddah with a scholar you trust.
Guide
Iddah, the waiting period explained.
Iddah is the waiting period a woman keeps after her marriage ends, before she may marry again. After a divorce it is three menstrual periods, or three months if she has no periods. After the death of her husband it is four months and ten days. If she is pregnant, it lasts until she gives birth. A woman divorced before the marriage was consummated has no iddah.
This page explains the rules and gives an estimate. It is guidance, not a fatwa. The real iddah ends with the real events, such as the actual third period, so please confirm your own case with a scholar.
After a divorce: three periods
وَٱلْمُطَلَّقَٰتُ يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنفُسِهِنَّ ثَلَٰثَةَ قُرُوٓءٍۢ ۚ وَلَا يَحِلُّ لَهُنَّ أَن يَكْتُمْنَ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ فِىٓ أَرْحَامِهِنَّ إِن كُنَّ يُؤْمِنَّ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِ ۚ وَبُعُولَتُهُنَّ أَحَقُّ بِرَدِّهِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ إِنْ أَرَادُوٓا۟ إِصْلَٰحًۭا ۚ وَلَهُنَّ مِثْلُ ٱلَّذِى عَلَيْهِنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ ۚ وَلِلرِّجَالِ عَلَيْهِنَّ دَرَجَةٌۭ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
Walmutallaqaatu yatarab basna bi anfusihinna salaasata qurooo'; wa laa yahillu lahunna ai yaktumna maa khalaqal laahu feee arhaaminhinna in kunna yu'minna billaahi wal yawmil aakhir; wa bu'oola tuhunna ahaqqu biraddihinna fee zaalika in araadooo islaahaa; wa lahunna mislul lazee 'araihinna bilma'roof; wa lirrijjaali 'alaihinna daraja; wallaahu 'Azeezun Hakeem
"Divorced women remain in waiting for three periods, and it is not lawful for them to conceal what Allah has created in their wombs if they believe in Allah and the Last Day. And their husbands have more right to take them back in this [period] if they want reconciliation. And due to the wives is similar to what is expected of them, according to what is reasonable. But the men have a degree over them [in responsibility and authority]. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise."
Quran 2:228, translation by Sahih International.
The three quru in the verse are three complete menstrual periods. They are counted after the divorce, and a period during which the divorce happened does not count. The iddah ends when the third period ends. If that period lasted the full 10 days, it ends when the bleeding stops; if it was shorter, it ends when she takes the ghusl or the time of a prayer passes.1
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki
- The quru are times of purity (tuhr) between periods. The rest of the purity in which the divorce fell counts as the first, so the iddah ends as soon as the third period after the divorce begins. This is usually a few days shorter than the Hanafi count.
- Hanbali
- Like the Hanafi school: three complete periods, in the relied-upon view of the school.
No periods: three months
وَٱلَّٰٓـِٔى يَئِسْنَ مِنَ ٱلْمَحِيضِ مِن نِّسَآئِكُمْ إِنِ ٱرْتَبْتُمْ فَعِدَّتُهُنَّ ثَلَٰثَةُ أَشْهُرٍۢ وَٱلَّٰٓـِٔى لَمْ يَحِضْنَ ۚ وَأُو۟لَٰتُ ٱلْأَحْمَالِ أَجَلُهُنَّ أَن يَضَعْنَ حَمْلَهُنَّ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مِنْ أَمْرِهِۦ يُسْرًۭا
Wallaaa'ee ya'isna minal maheedi min nisaaa 'ikum inir tabtum fa'iddatuhunna salaasatu ashhurinw wallaaa'ee lam yahidn; wa ulaatul ahmaali ajaluhunna any yada'na hamlahun; wa many yattaqil laaha yaj'al lahoo min armrihee yusraa
"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 Allah - He will make for him of his matter ease."
Quran 65:4, translation by Sahih International.
A woman who has not yet started her periods, or who has reached menopause, waits three months. In the Hanafi school, if the iddah starts on the first day of a lunar month, the months are counted by the moon; otherwise each month is 30 days, so 90 days. If her periods start during the three months, she switches to counting periods.
Pregnancy: until the birth
In all four madhhabs, the iddah of a pregnant woman ends when she gives birth, whether her marriage ended by divorce or by death, even if the birth comes a day later.2 A miscarriage ends it too, once the baby's limbs or features have begun to form.
After the death of the husband: 4 months and 10 days
وَٱلَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَٰجًۭا يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنفُسِهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍۢ وَعَشْرًۭا ۖ فَإِذَا بَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيمَا فَعَلْنَ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌۭ
Wallazeena yutawaffawna minkum wa yazaroona azwaajai yatarabbasna bi anfusihinna arba'ata ashhurinw wa 'ashran fa izaa balaghna ajalahunna falaa junaaha 'alaikum feemaa fa'alna feee anfusihinna bilma'roof; wallaahu bimaa ta'maloona Khabeer
"And those who are taken in death among you and leave wives behind - they, [the wives, shall] wait four months and ten [days]. And when they have fulfilled their term, then there is no blame upon you for what they do with themselves in an acceptable manner. And Allah is [fully] Acquainted with what you do."
Quran 2:234, translation by Sahih International.
The widow's iddah is four lunar months and ten days, whether or not the marriage was consummated. If it does not begin on the first of a lunar month, the months are counted as 30 days, so 130 days. During it she keeps mourning (hidad): no perfume, make-up, jewellery or bright, decorative clothes. She stays in her marital home at night and may go out by day for real needs, such as work or a doctor.3
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali
- The same length and the same mourning in substance. The schools differ a little in details, such as which clothes count as adornment.
Divorce before the marriage was consummated
If the couple were never alone together after the nikah, there is no iddah after a divorce (Quran 33:49). If they were alone together in a way where intimacy was possible (a valid seclusion), the full iddah is due, as if the marriage had been consummated.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Only actual consummation brings an iddah after divorce. Seclusion alone does not, in the school's later (jadid) view.
- Maliki, Hanbali
- Seclusion is treated like consummation for the iddah, as in the Hanafi school.
Other cases
- Khul: in the Hanafi school, the same iddah as a divorce. In one Hanbali view it is a single period.
- The husband dies during a revocable divorce iddah: she starts the widow's iddah of four months and ten days from the death.
- A divorce she learnt of later: the iddah still counts from the date of the divorce, not from when she heard of it.
- During the iddah of a divorce: in the Hanafi school she stays in the marital home and is owed housing and maintenance. A man may not propose openly to a woman in iddah (Quran 2:235).
- Quran 2:228, 65:4 and 2:234, translation by Sahih International. Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Bab al-Iddah; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar.
- Quran 65:4; Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Umm Salamah, on Subayah al-Aslamiyyah, who gave birth shortly after her husband's death and was told she could remarry.
- Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Umm Habibah and Zaynab bint Jahsh, on mourning; al-Hidayah. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know.
How long is iddah after divorce?
Three menstrual periods for a woman who has periods, three months for one who does not, and until the birth if she is pregnant. In the Hanafi school the three periods must be complete, which usually takes about three months.
How long is iddah after the husband dies?
Four lunar months and ten days, about 130 days, or until the birth if she is pregnant. It applies even if the marriage was not consummated.
Is there iddah after khula?
Yes. In the Hanafi school the iddah after khul is the same as after a divorce: three periods, or three months.
Can a woman leave the house during iddah?
In the Hanafi school, a widow may go out by day for real needs, such as work or medical care, and spends the nights at home. A divorced woman in iddah should stay in the marital home unless there is a necessity.
Is there iddah if the marriage was not consummated?
Not after a divorce, if they were never alone together (Quran 33:49). If they were alone together in private, the Hanafi school requires the full iddah. After the husband's death, the iddah is due either way.
Does iddah start from the divorce or from when I found out?
From the divorce itself. If the time has already passed by the time she learns of it, her iddah is already complete.