Jurisprudential Rulings in the Light of the Qur’an and Hadith
Volume 01 – Page 74
Question
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاتهIstihāḍah and Its Rulings
Answer (With the Help of al-Wahhāb), Provided the Question Is Sound
وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته!الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
The Reality of Istihāḍah
Istihāḍah refers to blood that flows continuously or most of the time without a fixed schedule, and it is discharged due to illness. The difficulty in the issue of a woman experiencing istihāḍah arises because sometimes menstrual blood resembles the blood of istihāḍah. When blood flows continuously or most of the time, the question arises whether it should be considered menstruation or istihāḍah, and consequently whether prayer and fasting should be abandoned or not.From a Sharʿī perspective, the rulings of a woman experiencing istihāḍah are like those of a pure woman, except that her case has three distinct states, which are explained below.
The First State of a Woman Experiencing Istihāḍah
◈ If a woman experiences istihāḍah for the first time and she already has fixed and known days of menstruation—for example, every month at the beginning or middle, her menstruation lasts five or eight days—then:✔ Those fixed days will be considered her days of menstruation.
✔ During those days, she will abandon prayer and fasting, and all the rulings of menstruation will apply.
✔ When her habitual days of menstruation end, she will perform ghusl, begin praying, and whatever blood comes thereafter will be considered istihāḍah.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Sayyidah Umm Ḥabībah رضي الله تعالى عنها:
"امْكُثِي قَدْرَ مَا كَانَتْ تَحْبِسُكِ حَيْضَتُكِ، ثُمَّ اغْتَسِلِي وَصَلِّي"
“Remain (without prayer) for the length of time that your menstruation used to restrain you; then perform ghusl and pray.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 334
Similarly, he ﷺ said to Sayyidah Fāṭimah bint Abī Ḥubaysh رضي الله تعالى عنها:
"إِنَّمَا ذَلِكِ عِرْقٌ، وَلَيْسَ بِحَيْضٍ، فَإِذَا أَقْبَلَتْ حَيْضَتُكِ فَدَعِي الصَّلَاةَ"
“This is only blood from a vein and not menstruation. When your menstruation comes, then leave the prayer.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 228
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 333
The Second State of a Woman Experiencing Istihāḍah
◈ If a woman has no fixed habit regarding the days of her menstruation, but the blood has distinct characteristics, then:✔ Black, thick, and foul-smelling blood will be considered menstrual blood, and during it prayer and fasting will be abandoned.
✔ If the blood is red, thin, and without a foul smell, then it will be considered istihāḍah, and prayer and fasting will not be abandoned.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Sayyidah Fāṭimah bint Abī Ḥubaysh رضي الله تعالى عنها:
"إِنَّ دَمَ الْحَيْضِ دَمٌ أَسْوَدُ يُعْرَفُ، فَإِذَا كَانَ ذَلِكَ فَأَمْسِكِي عَنِ الصَّلَاةِ، وَإِذَا كَانَ الْآخَرُ فَتَوَضَّئِي وَصَلِّي"
“Indeed, the blood of menstruation is black and recognizable. When that occurs, refrain from prayer; and when it is the other (type), perform wudūʾ and pray.”
Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 304
Reference: Sunan al-Nasāʾī: 216–217
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān: 1345
Reference: al-Mustadrak lil-Ḥākim: 618
This ḥadīth clearly shows that a woman can easily distinguish between menstrual blood and the blood of istihāḍah through its characteristics.
The Third State of a Woman Experiencing Istihāḍah
◈ If a woman has neither a previous habit of menstruation nor the ability to distinguish between menstrual and istihāḍah blood, then:✔ She will consider six or seven days of each month as menstruation according to her predominant assumption, because most women have menstruation for that duration.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Sayyidah Ḥamnah bint Jaḥsh رضي الله تعالى عنها:
"إِنَّمَا هِيَ رَكْضَةٌ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ، فَتَحَيَّضِي سِتَّةَ أَيَّامٍ أَوْ سَبْعَةَ أَيَّامٍ فِي عِلْمِ اللَّهِ، ثُمَّ اغْتَسِلِي، فَإِذَا رَأَيْتِ أَنَّكِ قَدْ طَهُرْتِ وَاسْتَنْقَأْتِ فَصَلِّي أَرْبَعًا وَعِشْرِينَ لَيْلَةً، أَوْ ثَلَاثًا وَعِشْرِينَ لَيْلَةً وَأَيَّامَهَا، وَصُومِي وَصَلِّي، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكِ يُجْزِئُكِ، وَكَذَلِكِ فَافْعَلِي، كَمَا تَحِيضُ النِّسَاءُ"
Reference: Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 128
Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 287
Reference: Sunan Ibn Mājah: 627
Summary of the Discussion
✔ A woman whose menstrual days are fixed and known will consider those days as her menstruation.✔ A woman who can distinguish the blood will act according to its characteristics.
✔ A woman who has neither fixed days nor the ability to distinguish will count six or seven days as menstruation.
This reconciliation is such that all three methods reported from the Prophet ﷺ regarding the woman experiencing istihāḍah are combined.
Statement of Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله states:◈ According to the scholars, there are six signs by which menstrual blood is recognized.
◈ The strongest sign among them is habit, because the fundamental principle is that as long as the end of menstruation is not certain, the ongoing blood is considered menstruation.
◈ The second sign is distinction, because considering black, thick, and foul-smelling blood as menstruation is more appropriate than considering red and thin blood.
◈ The third sign is the predominant and common habit of women, because the universal principle is that the rulings of the majority apply to an individual.
These three signs are established by Sunnah and analogy (qiyās). After mentioning the remaining three signs, the Shaykh states that the most correct view is to consider only those signs that are clearly explained in the Sunnah and to disregard the others.
Reference: Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā by Ibn Taymiyyah: 21/630–631
Practical Rulings for a Woman Experiencing Istihāḍah
① When the (assumed) days of menstruation end, she should perform ghusl.② At the time of every prayer, she should perform istinjāʾ, clean the impurity exiting from the private part, and use cotton to prevent it. It is better for her to wear underwear so that the cotton remains in place.
③ She should perform wudūʾ for every prayer.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"تَدَعُ الصَّلَاةَ أَيَّامَ أَقْرَائِهَا الَّتِي كَانَتْ تَحِيضُ فِيهَا، ثُمَّ تَغْتَسِلُ وَتَتَوَضَّأُ عِنْدَ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ"
Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 297
Reference: Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 126
Reference: Sunan Ibn Mājah: 625
And he ﷺ said:
"أَنْعَتُ لَكِ الْكُرْسُفَ، فَإِنَّهُ يُذْهِبُ الدَّمَ"
Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 287
Reference: Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 128
Reference: Sunan Ibn Mājah: 622
④ In the present era, the use of medically available protective products from the market is also appropriate.
هذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
