عَنْ أُمِّ عَطِيَّةَ رضي الله عنها، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ: «لَا تُحِدُّ امْرَأَةٌ عَلَى مَيِّتٍ فَوْقَ ثَلَاثٍ، إِلَّا عَلَى زَوْجٍ، أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا، وَلَا تَلْبَسُ ثَوْبًا مَصْبُوغًا، إِلَّا ثَوْبَ عَصْبٍ، وَلَا تَكْتَحِلُ، وَلَا تَمَسُّ طِيبًا، إِلَّا إِذَا طَهُرَتْ، نُبْذَةً مِنْ قُسْطٍ أَوْ أَظْفَارٍ»
Umm ‘Aṭiyyah narrated that God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said:
1. No woman may be in mourning for a deceased person for more than three days, except for her husband: four months and ten days. 2. She may not wear a coloured dress, except a yarn dress. She may not apply kohl or wear perfume, except that when she finishes her period, she may apply a little incense. ,
Related by al-Bukhari, 313; Muslim
Umm ’Aṭiyyah was an Anṣārī companion of the Prophet, best known for her appellation. Her name was Nusaybah bint Ka’b, but it is also given as Nusaybah bint al-Ḥārith. She used to join the Prophet (peace be upon him) on many of his military expeditions, looking after the sick and the wounded. She was the one who gave the Prophet’s daughter, Zaynab, her final bath as she supervised the preparations for her funeral.
