رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ from this general law. He went on to make the testimony of this one Companion equivalent to two people by beautifully declaring, مَنْ شَھِدَ لَہُ خُزَیْمَۃُ اَوْ شَھِدَ عَلَیْہِ فَہُوَ حَسْبُہُ - “Whoever Khuzaymah testifies for or against, his testimony alone is sufficient.”^[1]

(After Khuzaymah testifies, there is no need to bring another person to be a second witness.)

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب                 صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

Prophetic authority regarding ‘iddah

If a woman’s husband has died and she is not pregnant, her ‘iddah (waiting period) amounts to 4 months and 10 days. This is explained by Allah in verse 234 of (Arabic):

وَ الَّذِیۡنَ  یُتَوَفَّوۡنَ   مِنۡکُمۡ   وَ  یَذَرُوۡنَ  اَزۡوَاجًا  یَّتَرَ  بَّصۡنَ   بِاَنۡفُسِہِنَّ  اَرۡبَعَۃَ  اَشۡہُرٍ  وَّ  عَشۡرًا ۚ

And those among you who die leaving wives behind them, then such widows shall restrain themselves for four months and ten days.^[2]

The expert in Islamic law, Sayyid Muhammad Na’īm al-Dīn Muradabadi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه elaborates on the meaning of this verse, by saying:

A pregnant woman’s ‘iddah ends with the delivery of her child, as mentioned in Surah Talāq. This verse refers to non-pregnant women whose husband dies. Her respective ‘iddah is 4 months and 10 days. In this time, she cannot marry, leave her house (husband’s house), apply