Sunan an-Nasai Book 27, Hadith 3540

أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَعْدَانَ بْنِ عِيسَى بْنِ مَعْدَانَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَعْيَنَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ نَافِعٍ، مَوْلَى الأَنْصَارِ عَنْ زَيْنَبَ بِنْتِ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، أَنَّ امْرَأَةً، مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ جَاءَتْ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَتْ إِنَّ ابْنَتِي تُوُفِّيَ عَنْهَا زَوْجُهَا وَقَدْ خِفْتُ عَلَى عَيْنِهَا وَهِيَ تُرِيدُ الْكُحْلَ فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ قَدْ كَانَتْ إِحْدَاكُنَّ تَرْمِي بِالْبَعْرَةِ عَلَى رَأْسِ الْحَوْلِ وَإِنَّمَا هِيَ أَرْبَعَةُ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقُلْتُ لِزَيْنَبَ مَا رَأْسُ الْحَوْلِ قَالَتْ كَانَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ إِذَا هَلَكَ زَوْجُهَا عَمَدَتْ إِلَى شَرِّ بَيْتٍ لَهَا فَجَلَسَتْ فِيهِ حَتَّى إِذَا مَرَّتْ بِهَا سَنَةٌ خَرَجَتْ فَرَمَتْ وَرَاءَهَا بِبَعْرَةٍ ‏.‏

It was narrated from Zainab bint Abi Salamah, from Umm Salamah that a woman from the Quraish came to the Messenger of Allah and said:"My daughter's husband has died, and I am worried about her eyes; she needs kohl." He said: "One of you used to throw a piece of dung after a year had passed. Rather it (the mourning period) is four months and ten days." I (the narrator) said to Zainab: "What does 'after a year had passed' mean?" She said: "During the Jahiliyyah, if a woman's husband died she would go to the worst room she had and stay there, then, when a year had passed, she would come out and throw a piece of dung behind her