for us the sunnah of our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace); the waiting period of an umm al-walad when her master dies is four months and ten [days]." It was narrated by Abu Dawud. And because she is a free woman observing a waiting period for death, her waiting period is four months and ten [days], like a free wife. Abu al-Khattab narrated a third position: that she observes a waiting period of two months and five days. I have not found this narration from Ahmad in "al-Jami'", and I do not think it is authentic from Ahmad. It is also narrated from 'Ata', Tawus, and Qatadah, because she is a slave woman at the time of death, so her waiting period is the waiting period of a slave woman, just as if a man died leaving behind a slave wife, and she was emancipated after his death. It is also narrated from Ali, Ibn Mas'ud, 'Ata', al-Nakha'i, al-Thawri, and the scholars of the school of ra'y (personal reasoning) that her waiting period is three menstrual cycles, because she is a free woman whose purity is being verified (istibra'), so her verification is by three menstrual cycles, like a divorced free woman. Our argument is that it is a verification of purity upon the cessation of ownership over the person, so it constitutes one menstrual cycle for those who menstruate, like other verifications for emancipated and owned women. Also, because it is a verification for someone other than wives or those with whom there was intercourse due to a doubt, it is similar to what we mentioned. Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad said: "Glory be to God! God Almighty says in His Book: {And those who are taken in death among you and leave wives behind...} (Surah al-Baqarah: 234). They are not wives." As for the hadith of Amr ibn al-Aas, it is weak. Ibn al-Mundhir said: "Ahmad and Abu 'Ubayd weakened the hadith of Amr ibn al-Aas." Muhammad ibn Musa said: