Importance of Prayer & Ruling of its Abandonment
Facing the Qiblah & Intention in the Prayer
Etiquettes of Walking to Prayer and its Description
Description of Prayer Continued
Description of Prayer Continued
Description of Prayer Continued
Pillars and Mandatory Acts of Prayer
Two Prostrations of Forgetfulness
Supererogatory (Voluntary) Prayers
Supererogatory (Voluntary) Prayers Continued
Times of Prohibition of (Supererogatory) Prayer
Congregational Prayers & Latecomers
Jumu'ah (Congregational Friday) Prayer
Menstruation and Postpartum
Once the blood stops, fasting and divorce become permissible, but the rest (of the acts forbidden for a menstruating woman) do not become permissible until she performs major ablution.
فَإِذَا انْقَطَعَ الدَّمُ، أُبِيْحَ فِعْلُ الصَّوْمِ، وَالطَّلاَقُ، وَلَمْ يُبَحْ سَائِرُهَا حَتَّى تَغْتَسِلَ.
It is permissible to enjoy all forms of sex with the menstruating woman except intercourse, because the Messenger of Allah (SA) said, “Do everything except intercourse.” 155
وَيَجُوْزُ الاِسْتِمْتَاعُ مِنَ الْحَائِضِ، بِمَا دُوْنَ الْفَرْجِ؛ لِقَوْلِ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ : "اصْنَعُوا كُلَّ شَيْءٍ غَيرَ النِّكَاح."
152. For the Prophet (SA) said to Umm Ḥabeebah:
"Remain away (from prayer) equal (to the length of time) that your menstruation holds you back. After this, bathe yourself and pray." (Ag – from ‘Â’ishah)
امْكُثِي قَدْرَ ما كانت تَحْبِسُكِ حَيْضَتُكِ ثُمَّ اغْتَسِلِي وَصَلِّي
153. Menstruation is a sure sign of puberty if it takes place after the age of nine, according to the vast majority, or the age of ten according to (a). The latter position finds support in the hadith of the Prophet (SA), in which he commanded the spanking of children at the age of ten if they do not pray. It infers that it is the youngest age at which puberty and the attainment of adulthood may normally take place. According to this position, anything before that would be premature and would not cause the girl to be held accountable as an adult.
154. In contrast, the waiting period is counted by lunar months for women who do not menstruate.
155. (M)
156. This is the position of (A) + (+S)
(-H): three days. (-M, -t): there is no minimum period. Their opinion is supported by modern medical knowledge. According to (-M), one gush of blood would be considered menstruation, as far as the acts of worship are concerned, not the waiting period. Although the Mâlikis consider one drop to be ḥayḍ, knowing the nature of this phenomenon, the use of one gush of blood seems more appropriate. One of the contemporary Ḥanbalis, Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him), was asked about a woman who sees one or two drops of blood here and there, and he replied, “this would not be considered ḥayḍ.”
157. This is the position of (A) + (+M, +S). (-H): The longest is 10 days. This seems to be supported by modern medical knowledge, which would consider anything past that abnormal.
158. This is the position of (A).
(a) + (-H, -M, -S): 15 days.
159. By consensus.
160. See Footnote # XX, Page XX (“Menstruation is a sure sign of puberty if…”)
161. (A/SM): 50 years. (-The earlier Ḥanafis, -S, -Z, -t): No limit.
If the woman who has just started menstruating [the beginner] sees the blood at an age that is customary for menstruation, 162 then she must abstain [from the acts forbidden during menstruation].
وَالْمُبْتَدَأَةُ إِذَا رَأَتِ الدَّمَ لِوَقْتٍ تَحِيْضُ فِيْ مِثْلِهِ، جَلَسَتْ
If it stops short of a day and a night, it is not menstruation.163 If it exceeds this but does not exceed the longest period of menstruation,164 then it is menstruation.165
فَإِنِ انْقَطَعَ لأَقَلَّ مِنْ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ، فَلَيْسَ بَحَيْضٍ. وَإِنْ جَاوَزَ ذٰلِكَ وَلَمْ يَعْبُرْ أَكْثَرَ الْحَيْضِ، فَهُوَ
(-M): Ḥayḍ does not happen beyond 70 years of age. From 50-70 years, female experts should be asked for their opinion. ¹ In our times, if a woman has her period after the age of 50, she must see a physician when available; if she is told it is menstruation, then it is.
162. (A): Between the ages of 9 and 50.
163. Based on his chosen opinion, as mentioned previously, that the minimum duration for menstruation is 1 day and 1 night. As for those who support the position of it being 1 gush of blood, they will say that she should abstain as long as she is bleeding and resume the prayers when she stops bleeding.
164. Meaning 15 days.
165. This is the position of (a) and the majority. She will consider all this duration her period and refrain from praying and fasting, etc. (A/SM): In her first 3 cycles, she refrains from praying and fasting only for the first day of bleeding, and then she makes ghusl and prays and fasts. Once her cycle is established, she retrospectively determines that her ḥayḍ in those first three months was 4 or 5 days, or less or more (depending on her established habit). If she fasted any days of Ramadan during that time, they must be redone because now she knows that she fasted them during her ḥayḍ. The position of the majority above may be easier for fatwas and education of the public.
If it stops short of a day and a night, it is not menstruation. If it exceeds this but does not exceed the longest period of menstruation, then it is menstruation. If it recurs with the same form and duration for three months, it becomes an established cycle. 166
حَيْضٌ فَإِذَا تَكَرَّرَ ثَلاَثَةَ أَشْهُرٍ بِمَعْنًى وَاحِدٍ، صَارَ عَادَةً
If it exceeds the longest duration for menstruation, then whatever is beyond it is non-menstrual vaginal bleeding (istiḥâḍah). In this case, she must have major ablution at the end of the menstruation, and wash her genitals and wrap them.167 Then she must perform wuḍoo’ for every prayer time and pray. 168 Likewise is the ruling for one with urinary incontinence and the like. 169
وَإِنْ عَبَرَ أَكْثَرَ الْحَيْضِ فَالزَّائِدُ اسْتَحَاضَةٌ. وَعَلَيْهَا أَنْ تَغْتَسِلَ عِنْدَ آخِرِ الْحَيْضِ، وَتَغْسِلَ فَرْجَهَا وَتَعْصِبَهُ، ثُمَّ تَتَوَضَّأَ لِوَقْتِ كُلِّ صَلاَةٍ، وَتُصَلِّيْ. وَكَذَا حُكْمُ مَنْ بِهِ سَلَسُ الْبَوْلِ، وَمَنْ فِيْ مَعْنَاهُ.
166. This is the position of (A). For the majority, the habit is established after 1 period.
167. Now women may use the convenient sanitary napkins or any other means to ensure that blood will not leak.
168. The Prophet (SA) said to Fâṭimah bint Abi Ḥubaysh:
"Then make wuḍoo’ for each prayer." (B – from ‘Â’ishah)
ثُمَّ تَوَضَّئِي لِكُلِّ صَلَاةٍ
Ibn Ḥajar asserted that this was stated by the Prophet (SA), not by the narrator, ‘Urwah. She will only need to make wuḍoo’ again for each mandatory prayer. She may use that wuḍoo’ for all the sunnah prayers attached to this mandatory one. (A/SM): It is impermissible to have intercourse during the time of istiḥâḍah, unless there is fear of undue hardship for either spouse. The majority allowed it for all.
169. This person has to make wuḍoo’ for every prayer.
When the bleeding continues [longer than the maximum period of 15 days] in the other months: If she has a normal cycle, then her menstruation is during the days of her normal cycle. 170 If she does not have a normal cycle, but she has the ability to distinguish – meaning that some of her blood is black and thick [menstrual], while some is red and thin [non-menstrual] – then her menstruation is the duration of the flow of that which is black and thick. 171
فَإِذَا اسْتَمَرَّ بِهَا الدَّمُ فِيْ الشَّهْرِ الآخَرِ: فَإِنْ كَانَتْ مُعْتَادَةً، فَحَيْضُهَا أَيَّامُ عَادَتِهَا. وَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ مُعْتَادَةً وَكَانَ لَهَا تَمْيِيْزٌ - وَهُوَ أَنْ يَكُوْنَ بَعْضُ دَمِهَا أَسْوَدَ ثَخِيْنًا، وَبَعْضُهُ أَحْمَرَ رَقِيْقًا - فَحَيْضُهَا زَمَنُ الأَسْوَدِ الثَّخِيْنِ.
If she is a beginner 172 or has forgotten her normal cycle and has no ability to distinguish, then her menstruation is six or seven days out
وَإِنْ كَانَتْ مُبْتَدَأَةً، أَوْ نَاسِيَةً لِعَادَتِهَا، وَلاَ تَمْيِيْزَ لَهَا، فَحَيْضُهَا مِنْ كُلِّ شَهْرٍ
170. For the Prophet (SA) said to Umm Ḥabeebah bint Jaḥsh (RAH):
"Remain away (from prayer) equal (to the length of time) that your menstruation holds you back. After this, bathe yourself and pray." (Ag – from ‘Â’ishah)
امْكُثِي قَدْرَ ما كانت تَحْبِسُكِ حَيْضَتُكِ ثُمَّ اغْتَسِلِي وَصَلِّي
I"When the blood of the menses comes, it is black blood which can be recognized, so when that comes, refrain from prayer; but when a different type of blood comes, perform ablution and pray…" (D, N – from ‘Â’ishah. al-Albâni:S)
إذا كان دَمُ الْحَيْضِ فإنه دَمٌ أَسْوَدُ يُعْرَفُ فإذا كان ذلك فَأَمْسِكِي عن الصَّلَاةِ فإذا كان الْآخَرُ فَتَوَضَّئِي وَصَلِّي
171. For the Prophet (SA) said to Fâṭimah bint Abi Ḥubaysh (RAH):
"When the blood of the menses comes, it is black blood which can be recognized, so when that comes, refrain from prayer; but when a different type of blood comes, perform ablution and pray…" (D, N – from ‘Â’ishah. al-Albâni:S)
إذا كان دَمُ الْحَيْضِ فإنه دَمٌ أَسْوَدُ يُعْرَفُ فإذا كان ذلك فَأَمْسِكِي عن الصَّلَاةِ فإذا كان الْآخَرُ فَتَوَضَّئِي وَصَلِّي
Note that (a) + (-S) gave precedence to the discernment of the different types of blood over the habit (number of days a woman is used to be bleeding). So if a woman has a recurring habit, and she is also discerning, (A) will require her to act according to her established habit, and (S) upon her discernment.
172. (A/SM): The beginner, whether she has bleeding for a normal or prolonged period, will only refrain from praying and fasting for 1 day. See the discussion above under the beginner.
of each month, since that is the customary period for most women. 173
سِتَّةُ أَيَّامٍ، أَوْ سَبْعَةٌ؛ لأَنَّهُ غَالِبُ عَادَاتِ النِّسَاءِ
173. For the Prophet (SA) said:
“…This is a stroke of the devil, so observe your menses for 6 or 7 days, Allah alone knows which it should be, then wash. When you see that you are purified and quite clean, pray during 23 or 24 days and nights, and fast, for that will be enough for you, and do so every month, just as women menstruate and are purified at the time of their menstruation and their purification...” (A – from Ḥamnah bint Jaḥsh. A:R)
إنما هذه رَكْضَةٌ من رَكَضَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَتَحَيَّضِي سِتَّةَ أَيَّامٍ أو سَبْعَةَ أَيَّامٍ في عِلْمِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ اغْتَسِلِي حتى إذا رَأَيْتِ أَنَّكِ قد طَهُرْتِ وَاسْتَنْقَأْتِ فَصَلِّي ثَلَاثًا وَعِشْرِينَ لَيْلَةً أو أَرْبَعًا وَعِشْرِينَ لَيْلَةً وَأَيَّامَهَا وَصُومِي فإن ذلك يَجْزِيكِ وَكَذَلِكَ فَافْعَلِي في كل شَهْرٍ كما تَحِيضُ النِّسَاءُ وَكَمَا يَطْهُرْنَ مِيقَاتُ حَيْضِهِنَّ وَطُهْرِهِنَّ
It seems that Ḥamnah (RAH) was unable to distinguish between the 2 types of blood, or they were indiscernible, and Umm Ḥabeebah (RAH) had an established cycle, while Fâṭimah bint Abi Ḥubaysh (RAH) was able to distinguish between the 2 types of blood, so the Prophet (SA) gave each of them the answer most suitable for her.
174.
This is the position of (A) + (+H). (-M, -S): She may menstruate. This applies only to the sphere of acts of worship. They all agree that her menstruation is inconsequential to her waiting period, which ends only upon delivery of the last fetus in her womb.
175. It seems to be postpartum bleeding from the time she starts the labor pains, as indicated by Ibn Qudâmah in al-Mughni.
Additional Benefits from (SM)
دَمَ نِفَاسٍ.
A woman never acts on the discernment of the different types of blood unless her bleeding exceeds the maximum period of ḥayḍ. Also, if her habit changes, she acts on the new habit, as long as it does not exceed the longest period of ḥayḍ. When the bleeding stops even for a short while (down to 1 hour), the woman must make ghusl and resume her worship. If it recurs within the time of ḥayḍ, she refrains again, and so on. If the bleeding takes place on some days and skips others, she will consider herself pure in the intervening days without bleeding. In these days, all worship is permissible, and so is intercourse. If she is a beginner, and she bleeds every other day for 18 days, then she will consider the menstruation to be all the days of bleeding within the first 15 days, and the rest will be istiḥâḍah (non-menstrual vaginal bleeding). If she is not a beginner, then her ḥayḍ will be the days of bleeding within her customary ḥayḍ period; if she has not established a habit, then the days of the dark odorous blood; and if she is not discerning, then the days of bleeding within the first 7 days, so if she was bleeding every other day, then her ḥayḍ will be days 1, 3, 5, and 7 only, according to the stronger position. Days 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17 will be all considered istiḥâḍah (non-menstrual vaginal bleeding). The shortest period of purity is 13 days. If a woman’s cycle occurs every 20 days, and she is not discerning, nor did she have a habit from before, then she will consider the first 7 days her ḥayḍ and the following 13 days to be pure (istiḥâḍah, or non-menstrual bleeding). If the cycle is repeated more frequently than this, she will keep the days of purity fixed at 13; so in an 18-day cycle, she will consider only the first 5 days as her ḥayḍ.
Chapter on Postpartum Bleeding
بَابُ النِّفَاسِ
This is the blood that flows out because of childbirth. 176 Its ruling is like that of menstruation concerning the things that become permissible and those that become forbidden, and concerning the things that become required and those that are dropped because of it.
وَهُوَ: الدَّمُ الْخَارِجُ بِسَبَبِ الْوِلاَدَةِ. وَحُكْمُهُ حُكْمُ الْحَيْضِ فِيْمَا يَحِلُّ وَيَحْرُمُ وَيَجِبُ وَيَسْقُطُ بِهِ.
Its longest duration is forty days, 177 and there is no limit for the shortest. Once she sees the purity (cessation of bleeding), she must perform major ablution, and she becomes pure. If it returns within the period of forty days, it is still considered postpartum bleeding. 178
وَأَكْثَرُهُ أَرْبَعُوْنَ يَوْمًا، وَلاَ حَدَّ لأَقَلِّهِ. وَمَتَى رَأَتِ الطُّهْرَ، اغْتَسَلَتْ، وَهِيَ طَاهِرَةٌ. فَإِنْ عَادَ فِيْ مُدَّةِ الأَرْبَعِيْنَ، فَهُوَ نِفَاسٌ أَيْضًا.
176. Note that he said ‘because of’, not ‘after’. This is because in (A), the bleeding that precedes delivery by 1 to 3 days, and is associated with signs of impending delivery, is considered postpartum bleeding.
177. “During the lifetime of the Prophet (SA), the woman with postnatal bleeding would wait around (until the end of her postnatal bleeding) for 40 days.” (D, T, Ma, A – from Umm Salamah. A:Auth) In one report, she said “the women of the Prophet (SA)”. Also, the implications of the hadith are not conclusive because she may have reported an occurrence as opposed to a ruling. Because of that, there is still a disagreement in this regard. According to (-S), the longest duration is 60 days.
178. (A/SM): The blood seen during that duration after a period of purity is doubtful, so she should fast, pray, and avoid intercourse. She must repeat the fast, though, just in case the blood was in fact part of her post-partum bleeding.