Is a Girl Considered Mature if She Becomes Pregnant Before Menstruation?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpūrī by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amunpūrī
❖ Question
If a girl has not yet begun menstruating but becomes pregnant, is she considered mature (bālighah)?
❖ Answer
Yes. For women, there are two specific signs of puberty: menstruation and pregnancy. If a girl becomes pregnant, she is deemed mature, and all rulings of maturity apply to her.
❖ Scholarly Consensus
◈ Imām al-Qurṭubī (d. 671H):
((أما الحيض والحبل فلم يختلف العلماء فى أنه بلوغ))
“As for menstruation and pregnancy, the scholars have no difference that both are signs of maturity for a woman.”
— Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī 5/35
Conclusion
- Menstruation and pregnancy are both valid signs of puberty for women.
- A girl who becomes pregnant is considered bālighah, even if she has not menstruated.
- All Sharʿī rulings of maturity apply to her.
