✿ Rulings on Prayer and Wudu During the State of Istihāḍah (Non-Menstrual Bleeding) ✿
✍ Answered by: Shaykh ʿAbd al-Wakīl Nāṣir ḥafiẓahullāh
During istihāḍah (prolonged non-menstrual bleeding), should a woman combine two prayers or perform wudūʼ for each individual prayer?
During istihāḍah, a woman is required to:
➤ Perform a fresh wudūʼ for every obligatory prayer, regardless of ongoing bleeding.
➤ Complete the full ṣalāh with that wudūʼ, and the flowing blood during the prayer does not invalidate it.
Narrated by Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها:
Fāṭimah bint Abī Ḥubaysh رضي الله عنها came to the Prophet ﷺ and said:
“O Messenger of Allah, I am a woman who suffers from continuous bleeding, and I never attain purity. Should I abandon prayer?”
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
“No, that is blood from a vein, not menstruation. When your actual menses comes, stop praying, and when it ends, wash the blood from your body and clothes, and then perform your prayer.”
Hishām said that his father ʿUrwah added:
“The Prophet ﷺ also instructed her to perform wudūʼ for every prayer until her menstruation returns.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī Ḥadīth 228]
✔ Combining prayers (e.g., Ẓuhr with ʿAṣr, or Maghrib with ʿIshāʼ) is only permissible in extreme hardship.
✔ If the woman is truly unable to perform each prayer on time due to weakness or medical difficulty, she may combine prayers.
◈ There must be a genuine excuse, such as:
➤ Severe illness
➤ Inability to maintain physical purity multiple times a day
➤ Excessive burden in maintaining ṣalāh timing due to the bleeding
◈ If the woman is able to pray each prayer on time, then that is superior and more precautionary.
◈ The patient herself must assess her condition honestly, bearing in mind that she will be accountable before Allah. She must not misuse this concession for personal ease.
➤ In istihāḍah, a woman must perform a new wudūʼ for each obligatory prayer.
➤ She should not combine prayers unless there is a real necessity.
➤ This ruling is grounded in authentic Hadith and upheld by the scholars of Sunnah.
✍ Answered by: Shaykh ʿAbd al-Wakīl Nāṣir ḥafiẓahullāh
❖ Question:
During istihāḍah (prolonged non-menstrual bleeding), should a woman combine two prayers or perform wudūʼ for each individual prayer?
✔ Answer:
During istihāḍah, a woman is required to:
➤ Perform a fresh wudūʼ for every obligatory prayer, regardless of ongoing bleeding.
➤ Complete the full ṣalāh with that wudūʼ, and the flowing blood during the prayer does not invalidate it.
❖ Hadith Evidence
Narrated by Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها:
Fāṭimah bint Abī Ḥubaysh رضي الله عنها came to the Prophet ﷺ and said:
“O Messenger of Allah, I am a woman who suffers from continuous bleeding, and I never attain purity. Should I abandon prayer?”
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
“No, that is blood from a vein, not menstruation. When your actual menses comes, stop praying, and when it ends, wash the blood from your body and clothes, and then perform your prayer.”
Hishām said that his father ʿUrwah added:
“The Prophet ﷺ also instructed her to perform wudūʼ for every prayer until her menstruation returns.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī Ḥadīth 228]
❖ Ruling on Combining Prayers (Jamʿ Bayn aṣ-Ṣalātayn)
✔ Combining prayers (e.g., Ẓuhr with ʿAṣr, or Maghrib with ʿIshāʼ) is only permissible in extreme hardship.
✔ If the woman is truly unable to perform each prayer on time due to weakness or medical difficulty, she may combine prayers.
❖ Conditions for Combining Prayers in Istihāḍah
◈ There must be a genuine excuse, such as:
➤ Severe illness
➤ Inability to maintain physical purity multiple times a day
➤ Excessive burden in maintaining ṣalāh timing due to the bleeding
◈ If the woman is able to pray each prayer on time, then that is superior and more precautionary.
◈ The patient herself must assess her condition honestly, bearing in mind that she will be accountable before Allah. She must not misuse this concession for personal ease.
✔ Summary:
➤ In istihāḍah, a woman must perform a new wudūʼ for each obligatory prayer.
➤ She should not combine prayers unless there is a real necessity.
➤ This ruling is grounded in authentic Hadith and upheld by the scholars of Sunnah.
