Can a Pregnant Woman Experience Menstruation?

Sourced from: Monthly Al-Sunnah, Jhelum

Introduction​

A pregnant woman cannot be considered menstruating, as is evident from the following:

Proof from Hadith​

❀ Hadith:
When Sayyiduna Ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما divorced his wife while she was menstruating, Umar رضي الله عنه consulted the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, who said:
"Command him to take her back and then divorce her during a state of purity or pregnancy."
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 5251, Sahih Muslim: 1471)

From this pure Hadith, it is established that a pregnant woman cannot menstruate, because the Prophet ﷺ treated pregnancy as equivalent to a state of purity (tuhur). If menstruation were possible during pregnancy, what would be the meaning of prohibiting divorce during menstruation but permitting it during pregnancy?

Statement of Sayyidah Aisha رضي الله عنها​

❀ Sayyidah Aisha رضي الله عنها said:
"When a pregnant woman sees yellowish discharge, she should perform ablution (wudu) and pray; and when she sees blood, she should perform ghusl and pray. She must not abandon prayer under any circumstance."
(Musannaf Abdur Razzaq: 1/317, Al-Awsat by Ibn al-Mundhir: 2/329 — chain is Hasan)

Clarification Regarding a Weak Contradictory Report​

A weak narration opposing this is also attributed to Sayyidah Aisha رضي الله عنها:
Ibn al-Mundhir narrated: Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul-Hakam reported to us from Ibn Wahb, who informed him from Ibn Lahi'ah and al-Layth ibn Sa'd from Bukayr ibn Abdullah from Umm 'Alqamah from Aisha, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, that when asked about a pregnant woman bleeding, she said:"She should not pray until the blood ceases."
(Al-Awsat by Ibn al-Mundhir)

Analysis:
This narration is weak due to several issues:

• Abdullah ibn Wahb performed "Tadlees al-‘Atf" (conflated his teachers), meaning he explicitly stated hearing from the first teacher (Ibn Lahi'ah, who is weak and a mudallis) but merely listed the second teacher (al-Layth ibn Sa'd) without explicit hearing, which makes the narration unreliable.
• Moreover, Ibn Lahi'ah himself is weak and known for tadlees.

Note:
The narrator Umm 'Alqamah is trustworthy and has been declared reliable by scholars like Imam Ajli, Ibn Hibban, and Al-Hakim.

Statements of Early Scholars​

❀ Imam Shu'bah narrated that Imam Hakam ibn 'Utaybah said regarding bleeding in pregnancy:
"It is nothing."

❀ Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman said:
"She is like a woman suffering from Istihadah (non-menstrual bleeding)."
(Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 2/212 — chain is authentic)

Other scholars who held the same opinion include:

• Jabir ibn Zayd (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, authentic chain)
• Sulaiman ibn Yasar (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, Musannaf Abdur Razzaq, authentic chain)
• Ata ibn Abi Rabah (Musannaf Abdur Razzaq, authentic chain)
• Said ibn al-Musayyib (Musannaf Abdur Razzaq, authentic chain)
• Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (Masa'il Ahmad by Abu Dawud)
• Ibn al-Mundhir (Al-Awsat)
• Imam Abu Ubayd, among others.
  

Opposing View (Weak and Baseless)​

❀ Scholars like Imam al-Zuhri (Muwatta Imam Malik), Mujahid (Darimi: 992), Ikrimah (Darimi: 963), Bakr ibn Abdullah al-Muzani (Darimi: 967), and Qatadah (Musannaf Abdur Razzaq) have stated that a pregnant woman can menstruate.

Important Clarification:
This opinion is without valid evidence and stands contrary to the stronger proofs.

Conclusion​

A pregnant woman cannot menstruate. This is evident because:

• In the Qur'an, the waiting period ('iddah) for a non-pregnant divorced woman is described as three menstrual cycles, whereas for a pregnant woman, it is determined by the delivery of the child.
• Had menstruation occurred during pregnancy, the Qur'an would have prescribed three menstrual cycles for the waiting period of pregnant women as well.

Thus, it is established without doubt that pregnancy and menstruation cannot coexist.