Year-long residence of a widow as a bequest

On al-Baqara 240, Sha'rawi separates two rulings for a widow: four months and ten days, which is obligatory, and a full year that the husband may bequeath, during which no one may expel her from his house. If she leaves by her own choice, there is no blame on her. ¹

Sha'rawi holds that the four months and ten days are binding on a widow, during which she keeps to the house and does not adorn herself or go out. He notes the verse is addressed to believers in general, since each believer has guardianship over a believing woman and may intervene if he sees her break the waiting period. ^{2 3}

The year is a bequest from the husband as death approaches, so the wife remains in his house for a full year and no one expels her. She has the choice: if she accepts the bequest she stays, and if she prefers she may leave after the four months and ten days. ¹

These pages do not discuss whether the year-long clause was abrogated. Sha'rawi's reading is recorded as a reading of the verse, and that question is left for later pages.