Intimate relations necessitate observing the `iddah (waiting period) after divorce. The absence of vaginal intercourse does not mean that a woman is not required to observe `iddah.
Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Canada, stated: The fact that a lady did not have vaginal intercourse does not mean that they are free from this requirement. The simple fact that they have had intimate relations is a sufficient ground for observing the `iddah.