Short answer
No. Iddah is a waiting period for women only. A widower may remarry whenever he wishes, even soon after his wife's death. But a man who divorces must wait out his ex-wife's iddah before marrying her sister or a fifth wife.
There is no iddah on a man. If he divorces his wife, he may not marry her sister, her aunt or niece, or a fifth wife until her iddah ends, even after an irrevocable divorce. If his wife dies, the marriage ends at once and he may marry her sister straight away.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- After an irrevocable (ba'in) divorce, the man may marry the ex-wife's sister or another fourth wife during her iddah; the restriction applies only in a revocable divorce.
- Maliki
- Same as the Shafi'i view: after an irrevocable divorce he need not wait for her iddah to end.
Explanation
The Quran sets an iddah for women, after divorce and after the death of a husband. There is no matching period for men, and scholars agree on this. A man whose wife has died has no legal waiting period before he may marry again.
Why not? The iddah protects lineage, since only the woman can be carrying a child from the marriage that ended. A man may also be married to more than one wife at once, so the question of mixed lineage does not arise for him.
- Her sister or close relative. A man may not be married to two sisters, or to a woman and her aunt, at the same time. If he divorces his wife, he waits until her iddah ends before marrying her sister, aunt or niece.
- A fifth wife. A man with four wives who divorces one waits until her iddah ends before marrying another.
- Taking back his wife. After a revocable divorce, he can take her back only during her iddah.
After his wife's death, none of these limits apply, since the marriage ends at death; he may even marry her sister. Many men wait a while out of respect, and families should be gentle about it, but it is not a religious requirement. Like any bereaved relative, he grieves and receives condolences; see how long mourning lasts.
For the wisdom of the widow's iddah, see why iddah is four months and ten days.
The evidence
Quran, Surah An-Nisaa 4:23
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَّهَٰتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُكُمْ وَأَخَوَٰتُكُمْ وَعَمَّٰتُكُمْ وَخَٰلَٰتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُ ٱلْأَخِ وَبَنَاتُ ٱلْأُخْتِ وَأُمَّهَٰتُكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِىٓ أَرْضَعْنَكُمْ وَأَخَوَٰتُكُم مِّنَ ٱلرَّضَٰعَةِ وَأُمَّهَٰتُ نِسَآئِكُمْ وَرَبَٰٓئِبُكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِى فِى حُجُورِكُم مِّن نِّسَآئِكُمُ ٱلَّٰتِى دَخَلْتُم بِهِنَّ فَإِن لَّمْ تَكُونُوا۟ دَخَلْتُم بِهِنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَحَلَٰٓئِلُ أَبْنَآئِكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِنْ أَصْلَٰبِكُمْ وَأَن تَجْمَعُوا۟ بَيْنَ ٱلْأُخْتَيْنِ إِلَّا مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا ﴿٢٣﴾
Prohibited to you [for marriage] are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your father's sisters, your mother's sisters, your brother's daughters, your sister's daughters, your [milk] mothers who nursed you, your sisters through nursing, your wives' mothers, and your step-daughters under your guardianship [born] of your wives unto whom you have gone in. But if you have not gone in unto them, there is no sin upon you. And [also prohibited are] the wives of your sons who are from your [own] loins, and that you take [in marriage] two sisters simultaneously, except for what has already occurred. Indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.
This is why a divorcing man waits before marrying his ex-wife's sister.
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:234
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 ﴿٢٣٤﴾
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.
The iddah is placed on the wives, not the husbands.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5109
Sahih... لا يجمع بين المرأة وعمتها ولا بين المرأة وخالتها ...
"A woman may not be married together with her paternal aunt, nor with her maternal aunt."
These limits are why a divorcing man waits out the iddah.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Nikah, Fasl fi al-Muharramat. Not marrying the sister of a wife who is in her iddah.
- Minhaj al-Talibin, Kitab al-Nikah. The Shafi'i permission during the iddah of an irrevocable divorce.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.