Q: I would like to tell Your Eminence that my father has recently died (may Allah be merciful to him). Since my mother is observing `Iddah (woman's prescribed waiting period after widowhood), she has asked me to greet you and ask you about the following:First: Is it permissible for her to go to the Masjid (mosque) to offer the Tarawih (special supererogatory night Prayer in Ramadan) and Tahajjud (optional late night Prayer) in congregation?Second: She lives in a house next to my house and that of my sister. The three houses can be opened to one another and are surrounded by one fence. Is it permissible for my mother to go out of her house to have lunch or dinner or to spend the night at either of these two houses?Third: If the members of the three houses move to Makkah to perform `Umrah (lesser pilgrimage) during Ramadan, is it permissible for my mother to move with them?Fourth: My father (may Allah be merciful to him) has another house in which his other wife and children live. If they are holding a banquet in their house, is it permissible for my mother (Part No. 20; Page No. 451) to attend it or to go there to visit them?Fifth: Is it permissible for my mother to apply kohl (antimony powder eyeliner) for medical purposes and not for adornment? Is she permitted to henna or comb her hair?Sixth: Do menopausal women have different rulings regarding `Iddah and Hidad (prescribed mourning period during which a widow does not adorn herself and keeps to the home of her deceased husband)? Seventh: Is it permissible for my mother to drink saffron as a sort of medication?I have already read your valuable assay about `Iddah and told my mother some of its rulings, but she insists on knowing the opinion of Your Eminence. Since Allah (Blessed and Exalted be He) has ordered Muslims to obey their parents, I have done as she tells me and I hope you would honor me with a detailed answer and illustration of what may be difficult for her to understand. I ask Allah (Exalted be He) to forgive my father and admit him into Jannah (Paradise) and to grant my mother a long life, bless her Rizq (sustenance), and make her offspring righteous. May Allah reward you the best for us and for all Muslims and guide you to what benefits the Ummah (nation based on one creed).

A: It is not permissible for your mourning mother to leave her house to offer the Tarawih and Tahajjud Prayers. Rather, she should offer Salah (Prayer) in her house, because getting out for this purpose is not a need that permits her to leave the house. There is no objection to her going to your house or to your siblings' houses as long as they are surrounded by one fence, because they are regarded as one house. However, it is not permissible for her to travel and perform `Umrah because this opposes the rulings on (Part No. 20; Page No. 452) `Iddah. Likewise, she is not permitted to go to the house of your stepmother for visits or for attending the banquets that are held there, because this is not a need that permits her to leave her house. It is not permissible for her to apply black kohl for adornment; it is only permitted for medical purposes and even then she should apply it at night and remove it in the morning. She can fix her hair by applying Sidr (lote tree) and the like, but not henna or perfume, because of the Hadith which prohibits a woman in Hidad to comb her hair using perfume or henna. Women beyond the age of childbearing have the same rulings on `Iddah as other women. A woman observing Hidad is not permitted to apply perfume or anything including perfume, such as saffron, to her body and clothes or even to drink or eat it. May Allah help her to obey Him and avoid His Prohibitions. We ask Allah (Exalted be He) to forgive your father and all the Muslims who have passed away and offer you the best condolence and relieve your ordeal. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.