I need your guidance regarding the period of Iddat/Iddah. My cousin has just gotten divorced and it so happens that she works and at the same time is the bread-earner for her parents who have no other source of income. In this particular situation how is she to proceed with observing the iddat – since she now has to support not just her parents but herself too. Is she forbidden from stepping out of the house to go to work or is there some relaxation in such an extreme instance?
Furthermore, the divorce documents have been mutually signed exchanged between her and her ex-husband, while it was never uttered ‘verbally’ between them – does that suffice?
Answer
Divorce need not be pronounced verbally. Communicating it in writing is equally good.
Iddat is a duration within which the husband can reconcile with his wife and she can’t get married to any other man nor can she talk about the possibility of it openly. Under normal circumstances she should live in the house her husband is staying in.
The lady is allowed to work during her iddat for a living. However, she should stay in the same house as her husband. If for some reason she isn’t living in the same house, she should continue to return from work and sleep in the house where she has been living after she received her message of divorce.