Ruling on Fasting for a Woman Experiencing Irregular Menstruation (One Day Bleeding, One Day Purity)
❖ Source:
This ruling is derived from the book 500 Questions and Answers for Women based on the Fatwas of the Scholars of the Haramain, translated by Hafiz Abdullah Saleem.
❀ Question:
What should a woman do if, during her menstrual period, she experiences bleeding on one day, and then no bleeding at all the next day?
❀ Answer:
The apparent ruling in this case is that this intermittent bleeding and temporary dryness which a woman experiences during her menstrual days is considered part of the menstruation itself, and not regarded as a state of purity (ṭuhr).
Therefore, based on this, she must refrain from all the acts that are prohibited for a menstruating woman.
However, some scholars have stated that if a woman sees blood one day and cleanliness the next, then this continues up to fifteen days, during which:
- The bleeding is considered menstrual blood (ḥayḍ).
- The days of purity in between are considered as ṭuhr (purity).
And after fifteen days, if bleeding persists, then it is considered istiḥāḍah (irregular bleeding).
This is the well-known opinion of Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal رحمه الله.
— (Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-‘Uthaymīn رحمه الله)
