Can a pregnant woman be menstruating:
There are two opinions among the jurists on this issue:
(Maliki, Shafi’i) A pregnant woman can sometimes menstruate. Their evidence is the application of ”آيتِ محيض“ and also that menstruation is related to the woman’s physical condition.
(Hanafi, Hanbali) Undoubtedly, a pregnant woman cannot be menstruating. Their evidence is the hadith in which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), in response to Hazrat Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with him) question, gave the ruling of divorce only in two cases ثم ليطلقها طاهرا أو حاملا ”Then divorce her either in a state of purity or in a state of pregnancy.“
The point of evidence is that the Prophet (peace be upon him) considered pregnancy as a clear sign of not menstruating, just as purity is a sign of not menstruating.
(Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Nasir Saadi) Another narration from Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) is that sometimes a pregnant woman can be menstruating, and this is the correct view… and this is the one we have adopted.
Eating and drinking with a menstruating woman:
Participating in eating and drinking with a menstruating woman, even eating her leftover food, is permissible as the following evidences show:
➊ It is narrated from Hazrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that among the Jews, when a woman would menstruate, they would stop eating and socializing with her in their homes. The Companions asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about this, and Allah revealed this verse: وَيَسْئلُوْنَكَ عَنِ الْمَحِيضِ
Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
واصنعوا كل شئ إلا النكاح
“You may benefit from them in every way except sexual intercourse.”
➋ Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates:
كنت أشرب وأنا حائض ثم أنا وله النبى فيـضـع فاه على موضع فى فيشرب وأتعرق العرق وأنا حائض ثم أنا وله النبى فيضع فاه على موضع في
“I used to drink water while menstruating, then I would give the vessel to the Prophet (peace be upon him). He would place his lips where mine had been and drink. And when he would remove meat from the bone with his teeth while I was menstruating, I would then give that bone to the Prophet (peace be upon him), and he would place his teeth where mine had been.”
(Tabari) There is consensus on the permissibility of eating and drinking with a menstruating woman.
(Tirmidhi) (Eating with a menstruating woman is permissible) This is the general opinion of the scholars, and they do not consider any harm in eating with a menstruating woman.
Except for the Tawaf of the House of Allah, a menstruating woman will perform all other rituals:
As the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to Hazrat Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her:
فافعلي ما يفعل الحاج غير أن لا تطوفى بالبيت حتى تظهري
“Do all the acts that the pilgrim does except the Tawaf of the House until you become pure.”
A menstruating woman can comb her husband’s hair:
Hazrat Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, narrates that لو كنت أرجل رأس رسول الله و أنا حائض “I used to comb the hair of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, while I was menstruating.”
A husband can recite the Quran in the lap of his menstruating wife:
It is narrated from Hazrat Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that:
ان النبى كان يتكي فى حجرى وأنا حائض ثم يقرأ القرآن
“The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to rest his head on my lap while I was menstruating, and then he would recite the Quran.”
Washing cloth stained with menstrual blood:
Since menstrual blood is impure and filthy, it is necessary to wash any cloth stained with this blood, as the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
إذا أصاب ثوب إحداكن الدم من الحيضة فلتقرصه ثم لتنضحه بماء ثم لتصلي فيه
“When the clothes of any woman among you are stained with menstrual blood, she should rub that cloth, then sprinkle water on it, and then pray in it.”
Sleeping with a menstruating woman is permissible:
Hazrat Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrates that I was lying with the Prophet, peace be upon him, under a sheet when I got my menstruation and I got up and took care of my menstrual cloth. The Prophet, peace be upon him, asked, “Have you had postpartum bleeding (i.e., menstruation)?” I said, “Yes!”
فدعاني فأدخلني معه فى الخميلة
“Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, called me and took me under the sheet with him.”
Menstruating Woman and the Two Eids:
It is necessary for a menstruating woman to go to the Eidgah on the day of Eid and participate in the Muslims’ prayers. Hazrat Umm Atiyah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Menstruating women should also join in the goodness and the invitation of the Muslims like other women, but they should stay away from the place of prayer.”
A menstruating woman may enter the mosque when necessary:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): ناولينى الخمرة من المسجد “Bring me a prayer mat from the mosque.” Hazrat Aisha said, “I am menstruating.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: ان حيضتك ليست فى يدك “Your menstruation is not in your hand.”
It is forbidden to divorce a woman during her menstruation:
Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) divorced his wife during her menstruation. When Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) informed the Prophet (peace be upon him) about this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) became displeased. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) to take her back and said, “He should divorce her when she is in a state of purity or during pregnancy.”
If a woman experiences menstruation intermittently:
For example, if a woman has menstruation for four days, then after three days it starts again, what should she do? The preferred opinion in this matter is that when she sees the blood, she should stop praying and fasting, and her husband should not have intercourse with her. When the bleeding stops, whether it is during the usual interval or otherwise, she should perform ghusl (ritual purification) and carry out all acts like pure women. If there is some variation in the usual days of menstruation, then she should follow this principle (i.e., complete the usual days of menstruation).
It is permissible to have intercourse with a woman who is experiencing istihadah (non-menstrual vaginal bleeding):
➊ Hazrat Hamna bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that she was indeed experiencing istihadah: و كان زوجها يجامعها “And her husband used to have intercourse with her.”
➋ It is narrated from Hazrat Ikrimah (may Allah be pleased with him) that Hazrat Umm Habibah (may Allah be pleased with her) was afflicted with the disease of istihadah: كان زوجها يغشاها “And her husband used to have intimacy with her.”
(The majority) hold this view.
Is there a fixed final age for the cessation of menstruation:
(Sheikh Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him) There is no specific fixed age for the end of menstruation; rather, whenever the menstrual blood stops and there is no expectation of its return, that will be considered the end of menstruation.
(This is the preferred) position.
If after childbirth, the lochia does not come:
Is prayer and fasting obligatory for such a woman or not?
The fatwa of the “Saudi Council of Fatwa” regarding such a woman is that when the pregnancy is terminated and no blood comes out, then Ghusl (ritual purification), prayer, and fasting are all obligatory for that woman, and after Ghusl, it is also permissible for her husband to have intercourse with her.
If a woman in postpartum bleeding experiences intermittent bleeding:
If a woman in postpartum bleeding becomes pure before forty days but then experiences bleeding again within the forty days, should it still be considered postpartum bleeding? If the woman becomes pure before forty days and begins to perform prayers, fasts, and other acts of worship, but then bleeding returns, the correct ruling is that it will still be considered postpartum bleeding within the forty-day period. The prayers, fasts, and Hajj she performed in a state of purity are all valid, and there is no need to repeat any of them.
Recitation of the Quran for a menstruating woman:
Issues such as reciting the Quran and touching the Quran have already been discussed in باب الغسل. The same ruling applies to a woman in postpartum bleeding.
Using Menstruation-Preventing Medicines:
(Sheikh Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him)) There is no harm for a woman to use medicines that stop menstruation, provided that it does not cause any health damage and she does so with the permission of her husband.
However, in reality, such medicines are not free from harm, and it is known that menstrual blood naturally flows out. Therefore, when a natural process is stopped at its time, it inevitably causes harm to the body. Similarly, the harm of such medicines is that they cause irregularities and disturbances in the woman’s menstrual cycle, which leads to anxiety and confusion. This also causes doubt regarding prayer, intimacy with her husband, and other acts. Therefore, I do not say it is forbidden, but I do not prefer it for women because there is a risk of harm.
It is better for a woman to be content with what Allah has decreed for her. When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) visited Umm al-Mu’minin Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) in the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage, she was crying while wearing the Ihram for Umrah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, “What has happened to you? Perhaps you have become menstruating?” She said, “Yes.” Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said هذا شيئ كتبه الله على بنات آدم “This is something that Allah has made obligatory upon the daughters of Adam.”
Therefore, a woman should exercise patience and self-accountability, and when she faces difficulties in prayer and fasting due to menstruation, the door of remembrance is undoubtedly open. She should remember Allah, recite Tasbih, give charity and alms, and do good to people through words and actions. This is the best course of action.
A menstruating woman will only make up the missed fasts
Hazrat Mu’adhah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) why it is that a menstruating woman makes up the fasts she missed but does not make up the prayers she missed? Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “When we were with the Messenger of Allah فتؤمر بقضاء الصوم ولا تؤمر بقضاء الصلاة, we were commanded to make up the fasts but were not commanded to make up the prayers.”
(Nawawi) There is consensus among Muslims on this issue.
(Shawkani) There is consensus on this issue among the predecessors and successors of this Ummah, and no disagreement has been heard from any of the scholars of Islam.
(Ibn Mundhir) The scholars have reached consensus that it is not obligatory for a woman to make up the prayers missed during menstruation; however, it is obligatory for her to make up the fasts missed during menstruation.
Imam Ibn Abd al-Barr states that a group of Kharijites do not consider it obligatory for a menstruating woman to make up the prayers.
(Siddiq Hasan Khan) (Regarding the Kharijites) their opposition to the consensus of the Ummah does not have any effect; they are “the dogs of the Fire.”
