Woman in ‘Iddah may go out for need

3-4-2017 | IslamWeb

Question:

An eighty year's old widow whose ‘Iddah (waiting period) started only a month ago is very weak, suffers from neurological problems, and goes into depression quite often. Her doctor has advised the lady to be taken outdoor occasionally, even in a wheel chair (as she is not capable of walking) in order to change the atmosphere or visit close relatives, which is very essential for her status of mind and health, according to the doctor. Kindly advice if the doctor's instruction can be followed.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

If the situation of this woman is as you described and there is a need to take her out as a kind of treatment, then there is no harm in this – Allah willing.

The jurists permitted the woman in her ‘Iddah after the death of her husband to go out for a need on condition that she returns to spend the night in her home.

For more benefit, please refer to fatwas 88823 and 88684.

Allah knows best.