What is the required waiting period for the wife of a husband whose disappearance implies peril?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Waiting Periods ('Iddah)
Primary text
When the husband's absence implies peril, such as disappearing at night or day within his household, failing to return from prayer, disappearing between battle lines, or perishing in a known catastrophe like the plague epidemic in Hijaz, the apparent position of Ahmad is that his wife must wait four years, the maximum gestation period, and then observe the waiting period for widowhood (four months and ten days) before being permitted to remarry. This ruling is supported by narrations concerning Umar, Uthman, Ali, and Ibn Al-Zubayr, which have spread without objection among the Companions, implying consensus.
Supporting text
Sa'id ibn Al-Musayyib held that the wife of one lost between battle lines should wait one year, given the higher probability of death in that specific context. Ahmad also expressed some hesitation regarding the four-year ruling due to scholarly disagreement, suggesting a cautious stance of perpetual waiting or adherence to his initial ruling. Some later scholars suggest the matter is subject to two narrations from Ahmad.