What is the meaning of “Qurū’,” and is the waiting period (ʿiddah) after divorce 3 periods or one?

When a marriage ends, Islam doesn’t just close the book abruptly. It gives space and facilitates a pause before the next chapter. That pause is called ʿiddah: the waiting period a woman observes after divorce before she can remarry. It’s not a punishment, nor a technicality. It’s a wise pause that aims to protect lineage, ensure clarity, and give both people time to process what just happened.

The question asked is one that has intrigued scholars for centuries: How long should that waiting period actually be?

The Qur’an says:

“Divorced women shall wait by themselves for three qurūʾ.” (Qurʾān: 2:228)

That single word in the verse (qurūʾ) sparked one of the most interesting debates in Islamic law, a debate that is also testimony to the richness of the Arabic language.

The Mystery of “Qurūʾ”

Arabic is an in-depth language and has eloquently flexible words. This is to the extent that there are single words that can hold two meanings that seem opposite, with only the context highlighting the intended focus of the word. Qurʾ is one of those words.

Accordingly, early linguists like Thaʿlab and al-Khalīl ibn Aḥmad explained that "qurʾ" can refer either to menstrual bleeding or to the clean period between two menstruations. ^cite{1}

Because of that ambiguity, scholars of Islamic Jurisprudence split into two views as follows:

The first view: The term Qurūʾ refers to menstrual periods. This is the view of the Ḥanafī ^cite{2} & Ḥanbalī^cite{3} schools of Islamic Jurisprudence (fiqh).

The second view: The term Qurūʾ refers to periods of purity. This is the view of the Mālikī^cite{4} & Shāfiʿī ^cite{5}schools of Islamic Jurisprudence (fiqh).

The Evidence Behind Each View

The “Menstrual” view (Ḥanafī & Ḥanbalī)

They base their opinion on a clear hadith about a woman who suffered irregular bleeding (istiḥāḍah). The Prophet ﷺ said to her:

“Leave the prayer during the days of your aqrāʾ (plural of qurʾ), then wash and pray.”^cite{6}

The meaning is obviously “the days you are menstruating.” For these jurists, this prophetic usage is decisive—the Prophet himself used qurūʾ to mean menstruation.

The “Purity” view (Mālikī & Shāfiʿī)

They cite the famous story of Ibn ʿUmar, who divorced his wife while she was menstruating. When his father ʿUmar asked the Prophet ﷺ about it, he replied:

“Tell him to take her back, then keep her until she becomes clean, then menstruates, then becomes clean again; after that, if he wishes, he may keep her or divorce her before touching her. That is the ʿiddah Allah commanded for women.”^cite{7}

They focus on the words “until she becomes clean” and the Qur’anic phrase:

“O Prophet, when you divorce women, divorce them for their ʿiddah.” (Qurʾān: 65:1)

They understand “for their ʿiddah” to mean during a state of purity, so to them, qurūʾ refers to the clean interval.

Still, most scholars find the linguistic clarity of the first hadith stronger as the Prophet explicitly used qurūʾ for menstruation.

Why Three?

Whichever definition one takes, bleeding or purity, the Qur’an fixes the number at three:

“Divorced women shall wait by themselves for three qurūʾ.” (Qurʾān: 2:228)

The classical scholars agreed that this means three full cycles of a woman’s natural rhythm.

Why three?

Because the ʿiddah is not only about biology, it’s a balanced blend of wisdom and welfare:

1. To ensure there’s no pregnancy, protecting the lineage.
2. To allow emotional space, giving room for reflection or reconciliation.
3. To stabilise family and community life, avoid impulsive remarriages or disputes.

Accordingly, this tri-cycle period became a universal baseline across the jurisprudence legal schools (mathāhib)

A Bold Rethink: Ibn Taymiyyah’s Perspective

Centuries later, Imam Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH), who is considered a reference scholar within the field of Islamic Jurisprudence, studied this ruling and posited the following:

If the whole point of ʿiddah is to confirm that a woman isn’t pregnant, what happens once she has menstruated once after the divorce? Isn’t that already proof enough that she’s not expecting?

From that logic, he concluded that in such cases, one menstrual period could fulfil the purpose of ʿiddah.

His reasoning rested on three ideas:

1. Law follows its purpose. Every rule in Sharia serves a goal (maqṣid). Once the goal is achieved, extending the rule serves no added value.
2. The Qur’an shows flexibility elsewhere. For instance, a pregnant woman’s ʿiddah ends the instant she gives birth, even if that happens a day after divorce, as per the verse in the Qurʾān (65:4). This proves the duration isn’t sacred (i.e from the genre of rulings based on divine wisdom with no accommodation for human rationale); the purpose is.
3. Language allows it. In Arabic, a plural word like qurūʾ can sometimes mean “a few,” not strictly three. Thus, the verse could be setting a norm, not a fixed minimum.

His student Ibn al-Qayyim backed him up, saying that Sharia connects rulings to their wisdom: the sign of non-pregnancy is one period, so that should suffice.

In plain terms: if the aim is certainty that the womb is clear, one cycle already provides that certainty. The rest would just be waiting for time’s sake, not purpose.

It was a striking idea for its time, linking law to real-world biology. Still, the major schools of Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqḥ) did not adopt it. They valued the clarity of the Qur’an’s explicit “three”. They considered it a sacred injunction not open to ijtihād (independent juristic reasoning), and they emphasised the need for a rule that fits everyone, not only some.

Conclusion: Why the Majority Still Say Three and What This Teaches Us

In conclusion, mainstream scholars respected Ibn Taymiyyah’s reasoning but stood by the established rule:

1. The Qur’an’s use of “three qurūʾ” is explicit. The plural here cannot be reduced to one.
2. Uniformity keeps the law practical and prevents personal interpretation in sensitive family issues.
3. The ʿiddah is not only about checking for pregnancy; it is also a time for reflection, dignity, and transition.

That’s why, to this day, all four Sunni schools maintain:

Three qurūʾ, counted as menstrual bleedings or clean periods depending on the school, is the required ʿiddah for a divorced woman who menstruates.

And we learn from this that the real beauty of this discussion lies in how the scholars thought. The majority (May Allah be pleased with them all) safeguarded clarity and social stability. Ibn Taymiyyah (May Allah be pleased with him) reminded us that divine law also has a living purpose. Together, they show that Islamic law isn’t mechanical, but moral, meaningful, and wise.

And Allah knows best.

begin{footnote}

1. Thaʿlab’s definition in Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, al-Tamḥīd limā fī al-Muwaṭṭaʾ min al-maʿānī wa al-asānīd, vol. 1, p. 46; al-Khalīl ibn Aḥmad, Kitāb al-ʿAyn.
2. See: al-Mabsūṭ by al-Sarakhsī, vol. 6, p. 12, and al-ʿInāyah by al-Bābartī, vol. 4, p. 209.
3. See: al-Inṣāf by al-Mardāwī, vol. 9, pp. 204–205, and Sharḥ Muntahā al-Irādāt by al-Buhūtī, vol. 3, p. 195.
4. See: Ḥāshiyat al-Dusūqī ʿalā al-Sharḥ al-Kabīr by al-Dusūqī, vol. 2, p. 469, and Manḥ al-Jalīl by ʿAlīsh, vol. 4, p. 38.
5. See: Tuhfat al-Muḥtāj by Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, vol. 8, p. 232.
6. Sunan Abū Dāwūd no. 297; also al-Tirmidhī 126 and Ibn Mājah 625.
7. Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī no. 5251; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim no. 1471.

end{footnote}