عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ وَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ جَمِيعاً عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ سَمَاعَةَ قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْمَفْقُودِ فَقَالَ إِنْ عَلِمَتْ أَنَّهُ فِي أَرْضٍ فَهِيَ مُنْتَظِرَةٌ لَهُ أَبَداً حَتَّى تَأْتِيَهَا مَوْتُهُ أَوْ يَأْتِيَهَا طَلَاقُهُ وَ إِنْ لَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَيْنَ هُوَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ كُلِّهَا وَ لَمْ يَأْتِهَا مِنْهُ كِتَابٌ وَ لَا خَبَرٌ فَإِنَّهَا تَأْتِي الْإِمَامَفَيَأْمُرُهَا أَنْ تَنْتَظِرَ أَرْبَعَ سِنِينَ فَيُطْلَبُ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَإِنْ لَمْ يُوجَدْ لَهُ أَثَرٌ حَتَّى تَمْضِيَ الْأَرْبَعُ سِنِينَ أَمَرَهَا أَنْ تَعْتَدَّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَ عَشْراً ثُمَّ تَحِلُّ لِلرِّجَالِ فَإِنْ قَدِمَ زَوْجُهَا بَعْدَ مَا تَنْقَضِي عِدَّتُهَا فَلَيْسَ لَهُ عَلَيْهَا رَجْعَةٌ وَ إِنْ قَدِمَ وَ هِيَ فِي عِدَّتِهَا أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَ عَشْراً فَهُوَ أَمْلَكُ بِرَجْعَتِهَا .
4. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Khalid and Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father all from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Isa from Sama‘ah who has said the following: “I once asked him (the Imam) 
, about the case of a man who is absent and missing. He (the Imam) said, ‘If it is known that he is in a certain location she waits for ever until the news of his death comes or her divorce. If it is not known where he is and no letter comes from him or any news, she then comes to the Imam who commands her to wait for four years and search for him in the land. If no trace of him is found until four years pass, she then is commanded to count her waiting period for four months and ten days and then she becomes lawful for men. If she marries after the end of her waiting period, he cannot go back to her and if he comes before the end of her waiting period he has the right to go back to her as her husband.’”
