27/59. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 3527 — Four Months and Ten Days of Mourning
Mourning Is Waived For A Kitabi Widow
Widow Mourning Period: Four Months and Ten Days
Sunan an-Nasai : 3527
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3527
أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَيُّوبُ بْنُ مُوسَى، عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ نَافِعٍ، عَنْ زَيْنَبَ بِنْتِ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، أَنَّ أُمَّ حَبِيبَةَ، قَالَتْ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ عَلَى هَذَا الْمِنْبَرِ " لاَ يَحِلُّ لاِمْرَأَةٍ تُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ أَنْ تَحِدَّ عَلَى مَيِّتٍ فَوْقَ ثَلاَثِ لَيَالٍ إِلاَّ عَلَى زَوْجٍ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا " .
Umm Habibah Narrated from:
I heard the Messenger of Allah say this on this Minbar: 'It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and His Messenger to mourn for anyone who dies for more than three days, except for a husband, (for whom the mourning period is) four months and ten days.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3527In-book reference : Book 27, Hadith 139English translation : Vol. 4, Book 27, Hadith 3557
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3527
This hadith states the mourning period for a widow in direct terms. The Messenger of Allah said that a woman should not mourn for a deceased person beyond three days, except when the deceased is her husband. For a husband, the period is four months and ten days. The report therefore gives both the general rule and the exception in one statement. It also connects the teaching with belief in Allah and His Messenger. For someone searching for the widow mourning period in Islam, the main answer found in this text is four months and ten days. The hadith does not describe every action connected to mourning here; it focuses on the length of time and the distinction between a husband and other people.
What we learn from this hadith
- Mourning for others is limited to three days.
- A widow's mourning period is four months and ten days.
- The husband's case is treated differently from other deaths.
- The teaching is presented as part of faithful obedience.
