What is the waiting period for an enslaved woman whose menstruation ceases without a known cause?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Waiting Periods ('Iddah)
Primary text
The waiting period for an enslaved woman whose menstruation ceases is two months, after which she must wait an additional nine months. This structure is based on the principle that the maximum duration of pregnancy is equal for both free and enslaved women, being a real physical matter. Once she despairs of being pregnant, she observes the waiting period of one who has despaired of menstruation, which is two months. If the ruling that sets her waiting period at one and a half months is adopted, her total waiting period becomes ten and a half months. If the ruling that sets it at three months is followed, her waiting period equals that of a free woman, one year.