Fatwa ID: 06091
Answered by: Maulana Syed Johir Miah
Question:
I have a question regarding a sister
She was on medication and injections to help stop her haidh due to ongoing problems and heavy bleeding and when she was on the medication and injection her haidh had stopped.
As of recently, she has stopped the injection and medication due to the side effects being overwhelming
She now has a yellowish discharge sometimes and sometimes it is clear when she has the yellowish discharge how will she pray and is she allowed to fast during this time and is she required to do ghusl or wudhu before each salah she is confused on what to do?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Sayyidatuna Aisha (رضى الله عنها) related that
كانَ النِّساءُ يَبْعَثْنَ إلى عائِشَةَ أُمِّ المُؤْمِنِينَ، بِالدِّرَجَةِ فِيها الكُرْسُفُ، فِيهِ الصُّفْرَةُ مِن دَمِ الحَيْضَةِ، يَسْألْنَها عَنِ الصَّلاةِ. فَتَقُولُ لَهُنَّ: «لا تَعْجَلْنَ حَتّى تَرَيْنَ القَصَّةَ البَيْضاءَ». تُرِيدُ بِذَلِكَ الطُّهْرَ مِنَ الحَيْضَةِ
“Women used to send little boxes to Aisha, mother of the believers, with a piece of cotton cloth in each one on which was yellowness from menstrual blood, asking her about the prayer. She said to them, ‘Do not be hasty until you see a white discharge.” By that, she meant purity from menses.1
Likewise, Sayyidatuna Aisha (رضى الله عنها) related that Fatima Bint Abi Hubaish (رضى الله عنها) said to Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم), “O Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) ! I do not become clean (from bleeding). Shall I give up my prayers?” Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) replied:
إِنَّمَا ذَلِكِ عِرْقٌ وَلَيْسَ بِالْحَيْضَةِ، فَإِذَا أَقْبَلَتِ الْحَيْضَةُ فَاتْرُكِي الصَّلاَةَ، فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ قَدْرُهَا فَاغْسِلِي عَنْكِ الدَّمَ وَصَلِّي
“No, because it is from a blood vessel and not the menses. So when the real menses begins give up your prayers and when it (the period) has finished wash the blood off your body (take a bath) and offer your prayers.”2
Throughout the days of menstruation, whatever the woman sees of redness, yellowness, and darkness of discharge, is considered to be menses. The menstruation lasts up until she sees proper whiteness.
Menstruation exempts the menstruating woman from the requirement to pray Salah and it also makes fasting forbidden for her.
However, she must make up the fast but does not have to make up the missed Salah. 3
In the aforementioned case, if she sees yellow it will be considered as menses if she sees it after 15 days of Tuhr (days of purity between two menses) and it lasts for a minimum of three days.
Therefore, she will not pray and refrain from fasting when she sees the yellow colour. Otherwise, it will be Istihadah.
Istihadah is the state of a woman if she bleeds for less than three days and three nights or more than ten days and ten nights. Such a woman will make a fresh wudu for each salah time and her wudu will be valid, despite her bleeding, until the salah time ends. However, if any event which breaks the wudu takes place, such as using the bathroom or passing wind, then the wudu will break as normal.
It is permissible for a woman in the state of Istihadah to pray, fast, and have sexual intercourse.
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Maulana Syed Johir Miah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
1 Muwatta, Imam Malik, (Azami) Hadith 189, 80/2, Darul Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon.
2 Sahih Bukhari, Hadith Number 306, 68/1, Dar Tuqin Najah, 1422 H.
3 وما تراه المرأة من الحمرة والصفرة والكدرة في أيام الحيض فهو حيض حتى ترى البياض الخالص
والحيض يسقط عن الحائض الصلاة ويحرم عليها الصوم وتقضي الصوم ولا تضي الصلاة ولا تدخل المسجد ولا تطوف بالبيت ولا يأتيها زوجها
Mukhtasarul Quduri, Quduri, 19, Darul Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, 1418 H.
Hidaya, Margheenanee, 32/1, Dar Ihyat Turath, Beirut, Lebanon.
Bidayatul Mubtadi, Margheenanee, 8/1, Maktaba Wa Matba’ah Muhammad Ali Sabah, Cairo.