Ruling on Blood That Appears Before Childbirth in Women Source:
This article is derived from the book 500 Questions & Answers for Women, a compilation of Fatawa by the Scholars of the Haramain. Translated by Hafiz Abdullah Saleem.
❖ Question:
What is the ruling regarding the blood that appears in a woman before childbirth? Is it considered nifās or istiḥāḍah?
❖ Answer:
Such blood is considered istiḥāḍah (irregular, non-menstrual bleeding).
It is not nifās, because nifās (postnatal bleeding) only begins after the birth of the child.
(Fatwa by: Shaykh Muḥammad Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī رحمه الله)❖ Summary:
- Blood before delivery is not nifās
- It is treated as istiḥāḍah
- The woman must:
- Continue to pray
- Fast
- Make wudu for each prayer time
- And is permissible for marital relations
