Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, the Istihadha (; ''flowing blood'') represents a disturbance of the

menstrual cycle The menstrual cycle is a series of natural changes in hormone production and the structures of the uterus and ovaries of the female reproductive system that makes pregnancy possible. The ovarian cycle controls the production and release of eg ...

of the

woman A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or Adolescence, adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functi ...

which makes it difficult for her to perform some religious rituals (''

ibadah ''Ibadah'' (, ''‘ibādah'', also spelled ''ibada'') is an Arabic word meaning service or servitude. In Islam, ''ibadah'' is usually translated as “worship”, and ''ibadat''—the plural of ''ibadah''—refers to Islamic jurisprudence ( ...

'').

Presentation

The woman who experiences the effects of ''Istihadha'' is called ''Mustahadha'' () and who suffers either from excessive blood flow during the usual

(called

menorrhagia Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), previously known as menorrhagia or hematomunia, is a menstrual period with excessively heavy flow. It is a type of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB). Abnormal uterine bleeding can be caused by structural abnorm ...

) or bleeding outside the normal period of

menstruation Menstruation (also known as a period, among other colloquial terms) is the regular discharge of blood and Mucous membrane, mucosal tissue from the endometrium, inner lining of the uterus through the vagina. The menstrual cycle is characterized ...

(called

metrorrhagia Intermenstrual bleeding (IMB), or metrorrhagia, is vaginal bleeding at irregular intervals between expected menstrual periods. It may be associated with bleeding with sexual intercourse. The term metrorrhagia, in which metro means measure and ...

). A woman is thus considered a ''mustahadha'' if she continuously releases vaginal blood and continues to bleed after having already completed her usual period of menstruation. This is how ''Istihadha'' is seen to be vaginal bleeding caused by reasons other than menstruation or childbirth. For some women, this bleeding never stops, and for others, it continues for longer than a normal period, but it stops temporarily for a short time.

Prayer

The jurists ('' fuqaha'') said that the case of a woman's

menstrual period The menstrual cycle is a series of natural changes in hormone production and the structures of the uterus and ovaries of the female reproductive system that makes pregnancy possible. The ovarian cycle controls the production and release of eg ...

(''istihadha'') does not waive the obligatory prayer on her behalf, because this woman is pure and can read and recite the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

, and since the ruling on ''istihadha blood'' is different from the impurity of ''menstrual blood'', it is sufficient for a woman's menstrual period to purify herself of blood that is in excess of her usual monthly habit in order to read the ''Quran'' from memorizing it or from the

mus'haf ''Mushaf'' (, ; plural ) is an Arabic word for a codex or collection of sheets, but also refers to a written copy of the Quran. The chapters of the Quran, which Muslims believe was revealed during a 23-year period in Muhammad's lifetime, were wr ...

or during prayer (''

salah ''Salah'' (, also spelled ''salat'') is the practice of formal worship in Islam, consisting of a series of ritual prayers performed at prescribed times daily. These prayers, which consist of units known as ''rak'ah'', include a specific s ...

''). The scholars relied on the permissibility of reading (''

tilawa The Tilawa () is a recitation of the successive verses of the Qur'ān in a standardized and proven manner according to the rules of the ten recitations. Presentation # The ''Tilawa'' of the Quran is given in terms and meanings, because the Qi ...

'') the ''Quran'' on the fact that ''istihadha'' is a minor invalidating event that requires only the reintroduction of ablution (''

wudu ''Wuduʾ'' ( ) is the Islamic procedure for cleansing parts of the body, a type of ritual purification, or ablution. The steps of wudu are washing the hands, rinsing the mouth and nose, washing the face, then the forearms, then wiping the head, ...

''), so this condition does not nullify the obligation (''

wajib ' () or ' () or fardh in Islam is a religious duty commanded by God. The word is also used in Turkish, Persian, Pashto, Urdu, Hindi, Bangla (''spelled farz or faraz''), and Malay (''spelled fardu or fardhu'') in the same meaning. Muslims wh ...

'') of prayer and does not prevent its validity, nor is it forbidden to read ('' qiraat'') the ''Quran'', nor touch the ''mus'haf'', nor enter the prayer hall in the

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

or circumambulate (''

tawaf The Kaaba (), also spelled Kaba, Kabah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaba al-Musharrafa (), is a stone building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and Holiest sites in Islam, holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Sa ...

'') around the

Kaaba The Kaaba (), also spelled Kaba, Kabah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaba al-Musharrafa (), is a stone building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and Holiest sites in Islam, holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Sa ...

. If this blood comes under the same ruling as vaginal bleeding or gynecologic hemorrhage, then the affected woman is required to withhold the blood as much as possible through a piece of cloth, cotton and linen, and she performs ablution after hiding the blood for the time of each prayer upon entering its time ('' salah times'') as a matter of obligatory (''

fard ' () or ' () or fardh in Islam is a religious duty commanded by God in Islam, God. The word is also used in Turkish language, Turkish, Persian language, Persian, Pashto, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali language, Bangla (''spelled farz or faraz''), and Mal ...

'') among the majority of jurists, and as a desirable (''

mustahabb ''Mustahabb'' () is an Islamic term referring to an action or thing that is recommended and favoured. ''Mustahabb'' actions are those whose ruling ('' ahkam'') in Islamic law falls between '' mubah'' (neutral; neither encouraged nor discouraged ...

'') as well as went to that Imam

Malik ibn Anas Malik ibn Anas (; –795) also known as Imam Malik was an Arab Islamic scholar and traditionalist who is the eponym of the Maliki school, one of the four schools of Islamic jurisprudence in Sunni Islam.Schacht, J., "Mālik b. Anas", in: ''E ...

Fasting

A woman must abstain from

fasting Fasting is the act of refraining from eating, and sometimes drinking. However, from a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (before "breakfast"), or to the metabolic sta ...

only at the time of her period and the occurrence of her monthly menstruation cycle, and if the ''bleeding'' continues with her and menstruation does not stop, then this means that she is suffering from ''vaginal bleeding''. If she has a steady habit in her number and time, then she refrains from fasting for the duration of her period only, then she bathes (''

ghusl ( ', ) is an Arabic term that means the full-body ritual purification which is mandatory before the performance of various Islamic activities and prayers. For any Muslim, it is performed after sexual intercourse (i.e. it is fardh), before Fri ...

''), prays and fasts even if there is bleeding on her, because it is menstruation blood that is caused by illness, surgery, stress or falls, so she is not prevented from performing the acts of worship (''

'') imposed on her, and she is in the same ruling as immaculate women. Based on that, the

sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

ruling on the fasting of a woman who is ''mustahadhah'' is then a correct fasting, whether her fast is a ''desirable fast'' ('' nafilah'') or an obligatory fast (''fard''), and this saying was taken by the

Hanafi The Hanafi school or Hanafism is the oldest and largest Madhhab, school of Islamic jurisprudence out of the four schools within Sunni Islam. It developed from the teachings of the Faqīh, jurist and theologian Abu Hanifa (), who systemised the ...

Shafi'i The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionis ...

and

Hanbali The Hanbali school or Hanbalism is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence, belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It is named after and based on the teachings of the 9th-century scholar, jurist and tradit ...

jurists. Since her fast is valid, the ''mustahadha'' will make up the days of her menstruation if she knows that, either by the time of the month's period, or by the correct distinction between the nature, color and smell of the unclean normal blood of ''haydh'' and the pure blood of ''istihadha''.

Intercourse

In Islam, having

sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (also coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion of the Erection, erect male Human penis, penis inside the female vagina and followed by Pelvic thrust, thrusting motions for sexual pleasure ...

between a husband and his ''mustahadha'' wife with blood in her

vagina In mammals and other animals, the vagina (: vaginas or vaginae) is the elastic, muscular sex organ, reproductive organ of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vulval vestibule to the cervix (neck of the uterus). The #Vag ...

is considered harmful to both spouses. Islamic law permits women to have penetrative vaginal intercourse during the days of

purity Purity may refer to: Books * ''Pureza'' (novel), a 1937 Brazilian novel by José Lins do Rego * ''Purity'' (novel), a 2015 novel by Jonathan Franzen ** ''Purity'' (TV series), a TV series based on the novel *''Purity'', a 2012 novel by Jackson ...

, except that she (the mustahaadhat- the one with the menstrual overflow) must wash any traces of blood from her vagina before beginning

sexual penetration Sexual penetration is the insertion of a body part or other object into a body orifice, such as the mouth, vagina or anus, as part of human sexual activity or sexual behavior in non-human animals. The term is most commonly used in statute la ...

with her husband.

References

{{Authority control Salah Salah terminology Islam and women Menstruation in religion Women's rights in Islam Women's health

Presentation

Prayer

Fasting

Intercourse

See also

References