Why is the Iddah of a divorced woman and the Iddah of a woman whose husband passed away different?

Q: I would like to know what is the wisdom behind the The Iddah of a divorced woman being 3 months and the Iddah of a woman whose husband has passed away being 4 months and 10 days. Is there any reason why the length of the two Iddah periods are different?

A: This is the command of Shari'ah.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

 

Answered by:

Mufti Zakaria Makada

Checked & Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)