Spending Iddah at Parents House

If the husband divorces the wife and wants her to move back to her parents’ house to carry out the iddah period, is that permissible?

If a man has divorced his wife (talaq) for the first or second time, she spends her iddah (waiting period) in his house and stays with him because she is still his wife and under his guardianship. If he wants to have intercourse with her, then according to some scholars if he does so at that time (i.e. the time of iddah), this means that he has taken her back and her iddah is over. But in the case of the third talaq, she does not stay with him during her iddah. She leaves his house and is no longer permissible for him (i.e. he cannot have intercourse with her) unless she has married another man; if he divorces her, then she is permitted to return to her first husband in a new marriage.

Thus, it is not permissible for the husband to force his divorced wife out of the home until the iddah is over. The verse from the Quran which asserts this is al-Talaq (65:1) “… and do not force them out of their homes, nor shall they (themselves) leave, except in the case where they are guilty of open illegal sexual intercourse…”

The husband is also obliged to provide for her during this period of iddah, as she is still under his guardianship.

It is also permissible for the woman to beautify herself for her husband during the iddah.

And Allah knows best

Sh. Riad Ouarzazi