husband, for four months and ten days." This is agreed upon. This is because perfume excites desire and invites intimacy. It is not permissible for her to use scented oils, such as rose oil, violet oil, jasmine oil, ban (moringa) oil, and similar substances; because this is the use of perfume. As for anointing oneself with non-scented substances, such as olive oil, sesame oil, and ghee, there is no harm in it; because it is not considered perfume.
The second point is abstaining from adornment, which is mandatory according to the general body of scholars; among them are Ibn Umar, Ibn Abbas, and 'Ata'. A group of scholars dislike this and forbid it. It consists of three categories:
One of them is adornment of the person herself. It is forbidden for her to apply henna, to redden her face with kalkun (a type of red cosmetic), to whiten it with asfidaj (white lead) used by brides, to apply sabir (aloe) to it which turns it yellow, to tattoo her face or hands, to pluck or groom her face, or anything similar that beautifies her. It is also forbidden for her to apply kohl (antimony) without necessity, due to what Umm Salama narrated: that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "A woman whose husband has died shall not wear dyed garments (mu'asfar), nor garments dyed with reddish-yellow (mumashshaq), nor jewelry, nor shall she apply henna, nor apply kohl." It was narrated by al-Nasa'i and Abu Dawud. Umm 'Atiyya also narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "A woman shall not mourn for more than three days...
(8) Extracted by al-Bukhari in: The Chapter on a Woman's Mourning for Other than Her Husband, from the Book of Funerals. Sahih al-Bukhari 2/99. And by Muslim in: The Chapter on the Obligation of Ihdad during the Idda of Death..., from the Book of Divorce. Sahih Muslim 2/1123-1127. It was also extracted by Abu Dawud in: The Chapter on the Mourning of a Woman Whose Husband Has Died, from the Book of Divorce. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/535. And by al-Tirmidhi in: The Chapter on What Has Been Said Regarding the Idda of a Woman Whose Husband Has Died, from the Chapters of Divorce. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 5/172, 173. And by al-Nasa'i in: The Chapter on the Exemption from Ihdad for a Non-Muslim Woman Whose Husband Has Died, from the Book of Divorce. Al-Mujtaba 6/165. And by al-Darimi in: The Chapter on the Prohibition of Adornment for a Woman during Idda, from the Book of Divorce. Sunan al-Darimi 2/167. And by Imam Malik in: The Chapter on What Has Been Said Regarding Ihdad, from the Book of Divorce. Al-Muwatta 2/596, 597. And by Imam Ahmad in: Al-Musnad 6/325, 326, 426. (9) In B: "al-tib" (perfume). (10) Kalkun: A cosmetic with which a woman reddens her face, composed of "kal," meaning rose, and "kun," meaning color. Al-Alfadh al-Farsiyya al-Mu'arraba 137. (11) Asfidaj: Lead ashes. An Arabization of "asfidab," and its original meaning is "white water." Al-Alfadh al-Farsiyya al-Mu'arraba 10. (12) Extracted by al-Nasa'i in: The Chapter on What a Mourning Woman Must Avoid of Dyed Clothing, from the Book of Divorce. Al-Mujtaba 6/169. Extracted by Abu Dawud in: The Chapter on What a Woman in Idda Must Avoid during Her Idda, from the Book of Divorce. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/538. It was also extracted by Imam Ahmad in: Al-Musnad 6/302.
