Al-‘Iddah is a mandatory waiting period for a woman following separation due to annulment, divorce, death, or intercourse by mistake. The waiting period begins from the occurrence of separation.
- If divorce or annulment occurs after an invalid contract, the waiting period is only required after consummation or valid seclusion.
- If annulment occurs after an invalid contract, the waiting period is required only upon consummation.
Waiting period of a widow in a valid marriage (except pregnant women):
- Whether consummated or not: four months and ten days.
Waiting period of a non-pregnant woman for reasons other than death:
- Three complete menstrual cycles for women who menstruate.
- Three months for women who have not menstruated at all or who reached menopause. If menstruation occurs before completion, the waiting period restarts with three full cycles.
- Extended purity (Mumtaddat al-Tuhr): A woman who menstruated once or twice, then her menstruation stopped, must wait nine months to complete a year.
Waiting period of a pregnant woman after any separation:
- Ends upon delivery or miscarriage, whether the fetus is fully or partially formed.
- If not clearly formed, the case is treated according to Articles (146) and (147) of the Jordanian Personal Status Law.
Revocable divorcee:
- If her husband dies during her waiting period, she transitions from the divorce waiting period to the widowhood waiting period.
Residence during the waiting period:
- A woman in waiting due to revocable divorce or widowhood must stay in the marital home where both spouses lived before separation.
- If divorced or widowed while away, she must return to that home immediately.
- A divorcee may not leave her home unless necessary.
- If both spouses are forced to leave the home, the husband must provide another residence in his place of living or work.
- A widow may leave for her needs but may not spend the night outside her home.
- If compelled to leave the residence, she must move to the nearest possible location.