Islam > Hadiths > Jurisprudence and juristic principles > A woman whose husband is missing and whose whereabouts is unknown to her must wait for fou…
No judgment by Shaykh Al-Albaani is availableUpdated on 24 September 2026 at 12:34 AM
📖 1 min readعن عمر بن الخطاب أنه قال: «أَيُّمَا امرأة فَقَدَتْ زوجها فلم تَدْرِ أين هو؟ فإنها تَنْتَظِرُ أَرْبَعَ سِنِينَ، ثم تَعْتَدُّ أَرْبَعَةَ أشهر وعشرا ثم تَحِلُّ».
In this tradition, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) explains that any woman whose husband went missing must wait for four years, starting from the date when she lost him. Then she should observe the ‘Iddah of a widow for four months and ten days. After that, she is allowed to marry. Muslim jurists said that this tradition and similar ones apply to the husband whose death is almost certain, such as the one who went missing in a war, drowned at sea, etc.
Categories : Family Jurisprudence · Waiting Period · Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles · Waiting Period of the Lost Husband's Wife