Hair Oil, Jewellery, Perfume, Shampoo and Red Clothes in Iddat: Five Detailed Islamic Rulings
Estimated Reading Time: 13 min read
Hair oil during Iddat: what a widow must give up, and what genuine need can excuse
A woman is rarely told exactly where the line sits once mourning becomes a daily routine rather than a single difficult day. She still has to wash her hair, bathe, and get dressed every morning of her waiting period, so the real question is never whether she may take care of herself, but which of her ordinary habits now count as adornment. The five rulings below, each answered by a qualified Mufti, work through that question one everyday situation at a time — oiling the hair, wearing jewellery, masking sweat, washing with shampoo, and choosing what colour to wear. This article continues directly from the earlier guide on adornment during the waiting period, which set out the general obligation; here, the same obligation is applied to five specific, commonly asked situations.
Can a Woman Apply Oil to Her Hair or Comb It During Iddat?
Hair care is one of those daily habits that most women do almost without thinking, which is exactly why it needs a clear answer during Iddat — an action can be perfectly ordinary and still fall under a ruling a woman has not considered.
What Was Asked
A woman asked whether, during the state of Iddat, she may apply oil to her head or comb her hair.
The Ruling on Oil and Combing
Observing mourning (Sog) during Iddat is obligatory for a woman, and mourning means giving up every kind of adornment — jewellery, rings, bangles, perfume, oil (even oil without any fragrance), and combing the hair. Oil is included even when it carries no scent, because the purpose behind avoiding it is not fragrance alone but beautification. A woman is nonetheless permitted an exception where a real need exists. If leaving oil off or leaving the hair uncombed would start a headache, and there is no other remedy for it, she may apply oil and may comb. The same applies to a woman who is used to oiling her hair and knows that stopping will bring on a headache. In both cases the oil must not be used with the intention of adornment. When combing, she must use only the thick-toothed side, since that is all the need requires, and never the fine-toothed side, because that side is used to set and style the hair and styling is forbidden during Iddat.
Translation: Mourning is required, during her waiting period, of a woman whose marriage has been irrevocably ended and of a woman whose husband has died, when she is mature and Muslim, as stated in Al-Kafi. Mourning means staying away from perfume, oil, kohl, henna … and adornment and combing, as stated in Al-Tatarkhaniyyah.
(Al-Fatawa al-Hindiyyah, Kitab al-Talaq, Volume 1, Page 533, Dar al-Fikr)
Bahar-e-Shariat states the same exception in nearly the same terms: with a genuine excuse a woman may use these things, provided she does not use them with the intention of adornment. Its examples are oil for a headache, oil for a woman who is used to it and knows that omitting it will cause a headache, and combing during a headache from the side where the teeth are thick, never from the side where they are fine, because fine teeth are meant for setting the hair and that is forbidden.
(Bahar-e-Shariat, Volume 2, Part 8, Page 242, Maktaba-tul-Madina)
And Allah knows best (Wallahu A'lam bis-Sawab).
May a Widow Wear Gold Earrings, Bangles or Bracelets After Her Husband's Death?
Jewellery is often the first thing a grieving family sets aside without needing to be told, yet the exact scope of that ruling — whether it covers gifted pieces, everyday bangles, or only elaborate sets — is worth stating clearly rather than left to guesswork.
The Situation Described
A woman's husband had passed away, and the question asked whether she may wear gold earrings, bracelets, and bangles during her Iddat.
Why All Jewellery Is Set Aside
During Iddat following a husband's death, wearing earrings, bracelets, or bangles is not permitted, because giving up jewellery is one of the plainest requirements of mourning. Fatawa Hindiyyah states this among the acts a mourning woman must avoid:
Translation: Wearing jewellery, adorning oneself, and combing the hair are forbidden, as stated in Al-Tatarkhaniyyah.
(Fatawa Hindiyyah, Volume 1, Page 533, Dar al-Fikr)
Imam Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan, lists what a woman in Iddat must avoid: every kind of jewellery, even a ring of any kind, together with henna, kohl, perfume, silk clothing, garlands of flowers, fragrance of any kind on the body or clothes, and combing the hair. Where there is a compelling need, she may comb with a thick-toothed comb only enough to loosen the hair, without smoothing it into a set style. He also lists scented oil and sweet oil, clothes dyed with safflower or saffron, and any colour that produces adornment. Bangles are included even if they are made of glass. In short, every kind of decoration is forbidden until the Iddat ends. He adds that sleeping on a bed, and spreading bedding to sleep or sit on, is not forbidden.
(Fatawa Razawiyya, Volume 13, Page 331)
Mufti Muhammad Amjad Ali A'zami reaches the same conclusion in Bahar-e-Shariat: mourning means giving up adornment, and that includes jewellery of every kind, whether of silver, gold, or gems, together with silk clothing of any type and colour, even black.
(Bahar-e-Shariat, Volume 2, Part 8, Page 242, Maktaba-tul-Madina)
Related reading: henna, bracelets, anklets and bangles.
And Allah knows best (Wallahu A'lam bis-Sawab).
Is Perfume or Body Spray Allowed to Remove Sweat Odour During Iddat?
Hot weather and long days at home during Iddat can leave a woman genuinely self-conscious about odour, which makes this one of the more practical questions a mourning woman actually faces rather than a purely theoretical one.
What the Widow Asked
A widow asked whether she may use perfume or a body spray during Iddat specifically to remove the smell of sweat, not for general fragrance.
Why the Purpose Does Not Change the Ruling
Using perfume or body spray during Iddat is not permitted, because using fragrance counts as adornment, and adopting any kind of adornment is impermissible and a sin for a widow. Where sweat causes a real difficulty, or the body gives off an odour, the smell can be removed in another permissible way, such as bathing (Ghusl), or using a fragrance-free chemical or any other product that carries no scent. That alternative is permitted precisely because it does not carry the adornment the ruling is protecting against.
Translation: A woman should not mourn for anyone who has died for more than three days, except for her husband, for whom she mourns four months and ten days. She should not wear dyed clothing, except cloth dyed with "Asb" (a special woven Yemeni cloth, since that kind of cloth is not used for adornment), and she should not apply kohl or touch perfume.
(Sahih Muslim, Volume 2, Page 1127, Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut)
Tanwir al-Absar, with the commentary of Radd al-Muhtar, states the obligation in terms that cover this exact case: mourning is obligatory upon a Muslim woman who is legally responsible, even if she is a married bondwoman, whenever she is in the waiting period after an irrevocable divorce (three divorces, or one or two irrevocable ones) or after a husband's death.
(Tanwir al-Absar ma'a Radd al-Muhtar, Volume 5, Pages 220–221, Peshawar Edition)
Tabyin al-Haqa'iq puts the same principle into one short definition, which is useful to keep in mind across every question in this article: mourning (Al-Ihdad) is giving up adornment and perfume together, not one without the other.
(Tabyin al-Haqa'iq, Volume 3, Page 34, Multan Edition)
And Allah knows best (Wallahu A'lam bis-Sawab).
Can a Widow Use Scented Soap or Shampoo During Her Waiting Period?
Bathroom shelves rarely separate "cleaning" products from "beautifying" ones, and that overlap is precisely what makes this ruling more nuanced than a simple yes or no — the test the jurists apply is not fragrance alone, but whether the product's actual effect is beautification.
The Soap and Shampoo Question
A widow asked whether she may use scented shampoo or scented soap during her Iddat.
Why Effect, Not Just Fragrance, Decides the Answer
A widow may not use shampoo during Iddat, whether it is scented or unscented. A scented shampoo is forbidden because fragrance counts as adornment. An unscented shampoo is forbidden because, along with cleaning the hair, it makes the hair shiny and soft, and a widow may not use anything to soften or brighten her hair during Iddat, since that too is adornment. The exception is a shampoo that only removes dirt or kills lice and does not add shine or softness; this is permitted, like the shampoos that are sometimes made from traditional home remedies.
The same reasoning covers soap. A soap that is scented, or that brightens and beautifies the complexion (the kind sold as beauty soap or whitening soap), is forbidden, because anything that adds fragrance or beauty to the skin counts as adornment. A soap that is neither scented nor beautifying, and does only the work of cleanliness, may be used during Iddat, since it is not counted as adornment.
A hadith narrated by Umm Salamah shows how far this principle extends, even to something unscented. Sabr (aloe) has no fragrance, yet the Prophet ﷺ told her to apply it only at night and remove it during the day:
Translation: Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "When Abu Salamah died, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to me, and I had put Sabr (aloe) on my eye. He asked, 'What is this, O Umm Salamah?' I said, 'It is only Sabr, O Messenger of Allah; it has no fragrance.' He said, 'It brightens the face, so do not apply it except at night, and remove it during the day.'"
(Sunan Abi Dawud, Volume 2, Page 292, Hadith 2305, Beirut Edition)
Explaining this narration, Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi points out that Iddat forbids not only fragrance but adornment as well. Aloe is not scented, yet it brightens the complexion and tints it, so applying it is forbidden because it amounts to adornment. If there is a genuine need for such an application, he says, it should be applied at night.
(Mir'at al-Manajih, Volume 5, Page 154, Naeemi Kutub Khana, Gujrat)
Allama Shami gives the same underlying reason for why even pure, fragrance-free oils are restricted during Iddat. Olive oil, sesame oil, ghee, and similar substances soften the hair, so they become adornment. He adds that what is forbidden is using them in a way that becomes adornment; touching them by hand in order to press, sell, or eat them is not forbidden. Al-Binayah Sharh al-Hidayah gives the same reason for the ban on oil: it beautifies the hair and adds to its shine.
(Radd al-Muhtar, Volume 5, Pages 221–222, Peshawar Edition; Al-Binayah Sharh al-Hidayah, Volume 5, Page 621, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut)
Related reading: a man's ring rules and nail cutting during menstruation.
And Allah knows best (Wallahu A'lam bis-Sawab).
Is Wearing Red Clothing Permitted During a Widow's Iddat?
Colour choice feels like the most personal part of getting dressed, so it is worth understanding exactly why a specific colour is singled out in this ruling, rather than treating it as an arbitrary restriction.
The Clothing Question
Following her husband's death, a widow asked whether she may wear red clothing during her Iddat.
Why the Colour Itself Is the Issue
A widow may not wear red clothing during Iddat. Expressing mourning is obligatory for her, mourning means giving up every kind of adornment, and red clothing is worn as adornment, so wearing it is impermissible and sinful. There is one exception. If the red colour has grown so old that the garment is no longer worn as adornment, then wearing it is not objectionable, because the real reason for the restriction, adornment, is no longer present.
Translation: Mourning means avoiding perfume, oil, kohl, henna, dye, and wearing scented, safflower-dyed, and red clothing … Shams al-A'immah said: the clothes mentioned are those that are new and produce adornment; but if a garment is worn out and no longer produces adornment, there is no harm in it, as stated in Al-Muhit … Avoiding these things is required only in a state of choice; in a state of necessity there is no harm in them.
(Fatawa Alamgiriyyah / Al-Fatawa al-Hindiyyah, Volume 1, Page 533, Dar al-Fikr)
(Ahsan al-Fatawa, Volume 8, Page 34)
Bahar-e-Shariat lists red alongside the other colours a mourning woman avoids for the same reason: clothes dyed with saffron, safflower, or red ochre (Geru), and colours such as rose-pink (Gulabi), light green (Dhani), and pale yellow (Champai), together with every other colour in which adornment lies. It also states that a garment whose colour has grown old, so that wearing it is no longer adornment, may be worn, and that plain black clothing is not included in this restriction, provided it is not made of silk.
(Bahar-e-Shariat, Volume 2, Part 8, Page 242, Maktaba-tul-Madina)
Related reading: guide to Islamic rulings on women's makeup and beauty.
And Allah knows best (Wallahu A'lam bis-Sawab).
What All Five Rulings Have in Common
Read together, these five answers are not five separate rules so much as one principle applied five times: Iddat asks a woman to set aside visible beautification, not to stop caring for her basic cleanliness and health. That single distinction is what separates the following:
- 1Oil used for a genuine need, such as a headache with no other remedy, and never with the intention of adornment — permitted; oil applied for beauty or shine — not permitted.
- 2A fragrance-free way of removing genuine body odour, such as bathing — permitted; perfume or body spray used for the same purpose — not permitted.
- 3Plain soap, or a shampoo that only removes dirt or lice, used only to clean — permitted; a scented or beautifying version of the same product — not permitted.
- 4A red garment whose colour has grown so old that it is no longer worn as adornment — not objectionable; a red garment worn as adornment — not permitted.
- 5Jewellery of every kind, including a ring — not permitted until the Iddat ends.
Related reading: hair ribbons, body hair removal and henna rulings.
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