Regulations for Haydh Menstruation

Haydh or menstruation is the flow of blood from the womb of the woman who has attained the age of puberty. It is a period that occurs in knowable cycles, that may help in planning for children. Its shortest period is one day, its longest period is fifteen days, and the average period is seven days. The woman’s purity between periods of menstruation is thirteen days or fifteen days at the least, and at its longest, it has no limit. The normal cycle of purity lasts for twenty-three or twenty-four days. Women can be divided in this concern into three categories: the beginner, the normal case[su_highlight]—•1[/su_highlight], and Mustahadhah. Each case has particular rulings.

The Beginner:

The beginner is the female that sees menstruation blood for the first time. Her case is that when she sees it, she gives Up Salah, fasting, and sexual intercourse and waits for purity. If she enters the state of purity after one day or more than fifteen days, she performs Ghusal and offer salat, she falls under the ruling of Al-Mustahadhah and all that applies in the case of Al-Mustahadhah applies to her.

If the menstrual blood flows irregularly after fifteen days, bleeding for one or two days then ceasing, she has to perform Ghusal and perform Salah each time she thinks that she is in a pure state, and when she sees blood she does not performs Salat.

The Normal Case:

The normal case refers to the woman whose menstruation period lasts for a specific and known number of days. During this period she does not perform Salah, she does not fast, and she does not engage in sexual intercourse. If she sees a yellowish discharge or a murky discharge after the regular days of her period, she disregards them. Umm ‘Atiyyah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: “We used to disregard the yellowish discharge and murky discharge after becoming pure (from menstruation).”

But if she sees either the yellowish discharge or the turbid discharge during her known days, she considers either of them as menstruation. Thus, she should neither perform Salah, nor fast[su_highlight]—•2[/su_highlight].

Mustahadhah:

Mustahadhah is the woman whose bleeding does not cease. If she is certain of her normal days of menstruation, she does not perform Salah during these days. Upon the passing of these days. She performs Ghusl, performs Salah, fasts, and may engage in sexual intercourse.

If she does not normally have a menstrual period, or she experiences it but has forgotten when they normally begin of their number of days, she must distinguish between the blood discharge. If the flowing blood alternates between black and red, she should not perform Salah while it is black, and she should perform Ghusl and perform Salah otherwise, as long as the period does not exceed fifteen days.

If it is difficult for her to distinguish between the flowing blood, she should avoid the Salah for the normal period of menstruation, i.e. six or seven days of every months, then perform Ghusl and perform Salah.

During the days of her Istihadhah she performs ablution for each Salah, and wearing some sort of absorbent protection, she performs Salah even if the blood is flowing. She is not to have sexual intercourse except out of necessity.

The following Hadiths give support for the previous rulings:

1: Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, asked the verdict of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about a woman with excessive bleeding.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:Let her consider which days and nights she would previously have menstruation during the months before suffering form this problem. She should then give up the prayer during them. Upon the passing of the normal period, let her perform Ghusl, tie a cloth, then perform the prayer. (Abu Dawud and An-Nasah’I)

The Hadith supports the normal case of Al-Mustahadhah

2: The Hadith concerning Faimah bint Abu Hubaysh, who used to have excessive bleeding.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to her:If the bleeding is black and recognizable, it is menstruation blood, if it is thus, give up the prayer. If it is the other, perform ablution after having a bath, and perform prayer since it is a blood vessel.(Abu Dawud, An-Nasa’I)

This Hadith supports the case of the one who has no menstrual cycle or one who forgot her normal period of menstruation while the blood flow was easily distinguishable.

3: The Hadith concerning Hamnah bint Jahsh who said: “I used to have severe excessive bleeding, I came to the Prophet ﷺ asking him his verdict

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said :This is only the work of Satan. So consider your menstrual cycle to be six or seven days, then perform Ghusl. Having done so, perform the prayer twenty-four or twenty-three days, you may fast and pray. This will suffice you, and do so every months as the other women do.(At-Tirmithi)

This Hadith supports the case of the one who has no menstrual cycle nor is she able to make a distinction between the bleeding.

[su_highlight]—•1[/su_highlight]The Maliki and Shafi’I scholars add a fourth category; the pregnant. She has the ruling of one who is not pregnant as long as her period remains uncharged. If her period changes Ibn Al-Qasim said: “After the three months she is considered menstruating for fifteen days, after six months of pregnancy she is considered menstruating for twenty days.” Then at the end of pregnancy, she blood increases with the duration of the pregnancy. As for Hanbalis and Hanafis, they disregard the blood during the pregnancy. They see this blood as a symptom of a illness ; unless it occurs two or three days before delivery, then it is considered postnatal bleeding and carries that ruling.

[su_highlight]—•2[/su_highlight] Some scholars see that she whose menstrual blood lasts for a longer period than normal, should wait for three days more than her known period, then make Ghusl and perform Salahas long the period does not exceed fifteen days. In this case she is to be considered as Mustahadah, so she does not wait for the three days but makes Ghusl and performs Salah as the Mustahadhah. Some others are of the opinion that Salah as the Mustahadha. Some surplus days after the known period, except in the event the surplus bleeding occurs twice or three times since her new known period is amended in accordance with that.

Note: What is Not Allowed Due to Menstruation and Postnatal Bleeding