“Those among you who die ... [leave] provision for their wives for a year” (al-Baqarah 2:240, excerpt).
The four-month-and-ten-day waiting period in al-Baqarah 2:234 is often compared with this passage. The former may address the legal waiting period, while the latter can be analyzed as provision, residence, or benefit associated with a husband’s bequest.
Two different periods do not demonstrate contradiction unless they govern precisely the same legal subject. Distinguishing the widow’s waiting period from support or residence is central to the reconciliation presented here.