Womens Fiqh - Hanafi - 3

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Part 3

ISSUE 8
A mubtadeah should stop prayer as soon as she notices blood.

 

If bleeding continues for three days, and nights, then it is definitely menstruation. After this, if bleeding stops within ten days or if she notices pure whitish matter, then she should take a bath and start her prayer.

This period for which the bleeding continued is now established as her HABIT e.g. if she had seven days of menstruation and then remained pure for twenty three days, then according to Sharî’ah these seven days would be regarded as her menstruation habit and twenty three days as her clean habit.

 

But if this course changes e.g. bleeding continues for nine days and she stays clean for twenty days, then this is called CHANGE IN THE HABIT.

Nine days will now be regarded as her new habit.

 

THUS, EVERY PREVIOUS COURSE IS CONSIDERED AS HABIT FOR THE COURSE THAT FOLLOWS IT.

Many laws depend upon this habit. In order that her obligatory duties may be performed correctly, it is advisable for her to keep a notebook recording her habit, with columns drawn under separate headings as illustrated below. This will be a great help in the event of problems arising due to change of habit or if she forgets it later on. (Included at end of hand out)

If a woman forgets her habit and if chronic discharge (istihada) begins, the laws in such a case are quit complicated and this must be referred to an âlim for clarification. Such a woman is known in the Sharî’ah as Mutahayyarah.

ISSUE 9
If blood appeared for one day or more and she remained in a state of purity for less than fifteen days, then the whole period will be regarded as unclean and continuous flow, e.g. she bled on the first of a certain month then remained clean for fourteen days and then bled ‘again for one day.

The whole sixteen days from the first bleeding will be regarded as continuous bleeding.

 

If she is a mubtadeah, then the first ten days will be counted as menstruation and the remaining six as chronic discharge (istihada). Now, if she had started prayer after she bled for one day only, thinking that it was nothing and then finding out later that her first ten days were of menstruation and that she had read prayer for full fifteen days in this condition, then she will have to offer make-up prayer from the eleventh day onwards, because she should have taken a bath after the tenth day.

 

Therefore, for safety, such a woman should take a bath after ten days even if she had taken a bath after bleeding stopped on the first day so that the remaining prayer after the ten days will not go unaccounted.

If she had kept fardh (obligatory) fasts during the ten days, then those will not be valid and she will have to offer make-up fasts because those were days of menstruation.

ISSUE 10
If a mutahayyara [a woman with no fixed habit] remained ritually pure and did not bleed for fifteen days, it is regarded as purity according to Sharî’ah and she is no longer a Mutahayyara but is now tâhera [clean woman]. Now, if she bleeds for three or more days, it is menstruation, and her new habit has now started. If it is for less than three days, it is chronic discharge (istihada).

ISSUE 11
If menstruation continues according to habit but there is variation in the number of clean days, then this change does not in any way interfere with the laws concerning the menstruation habit, e.g. menstruation was for seven days and the clean period was for twenty-two days or menstruation was for seven days and the clean period was for either twenty or twenty-five days, then the menstruation habit still remains the same.

ISSUE 12
If the menstruation habit happens to vary (keep changing) it is necessary for the woman to keep on checking the pad (sanitary towel) at every prayer time on the last days of menstruation.

If it gets bloodstained, then she should change it so that this will give her an idea during the next prayer time whether the bleeding has stopped or not. In this way no problems will arise regarding prayer.

 

Again, if the bleeding gets disrupted or if it turns out to be chronic discharge (istihada), it then becomes necessary for her to learn the beginning and ending times of the mustahab (preferable) and disliked (makruh) times of prayer because these will have to be applied in many laws.

Actual Prayer Times

FAJR TIME: Fajr time begins after Subhe-Sâdiq [true dawn] and ends just as the edge of the sun appears above the horizon. This entire time- is valid and there is no disliked (makruh) time.

ZUHAR TIME: Zuhar time begins after the sun has passed its zenith (after Zawwal) and ends when the shadow of an object is double its actual size plus the length of the shadow when the sun is at its peak. This entire time is valid for Zohar.

ASR TIME: Asr time begins when the time of Zohar ends (as explained above) and lasts till sunset. Disliked (makruh) time of Asr is from the time the sunlight turns pale till sunset.

{According to the Shafi’î Mahab, Zohar time ends and Asr time begins when the shadow of anything placed vertically on the ground, is as long at the height of the height of the object plus the length of the shadow at Zawwal.}

 

MAGHRIB TIME: Maghrib time begins after the sun sets and lasts right up to the time when the white glow on the horizon disappears. This white glow appears after the red glow has disappeared. Just like Fajr time, Maghrib time also lasts from one hour twenty minutes to one- and-a-half hours. Maghrib time becomes disliked (makruh) when the stars appear and it ends when the whiteness in the horizon disappears.

ESHA TIME:Esha time begins when the whiteness in the sky disappears and lasts through the night till Subhe-Sâdiq. Esha time becomes disliked (makruh) after midnight.

It is advisable to have an Islamic Calendar in one’s house which gives the various times of prayer, etc.

Menstruation and Prayer

ISSUE 1
Prayer is not permissible during menstruation. Therefore do not perform it when menstruating. Do not even offer make-up prayer after the menstruation is over. Prayer is totally forbidden and harâm during menstruation.

ISSUE 2
If menstruation begins during prayer, do not complete the prayer, but break it immediately. If it is a fardh prayer it is pardoned and there is no make-up for it but in the case of Sunnah and nafl it becomes necessary to perform the make-up after the menstruation is over and when she is pure. According to the Shafi’î Mazhab, the fardh prayer should be broken but MUST be performed as make-up. The nafl prayer need not be repeated.

ISSUE 3
If menstruation starts during the time of Prayer and if that Prayer was not performed, it is forgiven and make-up is not necessary.

ISSUE 4
If menstruation is over before a prayer time ends and there is so little time left only for a bath and Takbîr-e-Tahrima [the first ‘Allâhu Akbar’ in prayer], then that prayer has become obligatory for her.

She must take a bath and perform the prayer immediately except during Fajr Prayer in which case she must wait till sunrise and offer it as make-up.

 

If, however, she could not take a bath on time, then she must perform prayer as make-up after she has taken her bath. This law applies only if bleeding is over in less than ten days. {This is not a condition for Shafi’îs.}

 

 

 

If bleeding stops at the end of the tenth day at such a moment that there is no time for a bath but there is only little lime to say ‘Allâhu Akbar’ and the time for that prayer goes by, then this prayer becomes compulsory and must be offered as make-up. After taking a bath she must perform this make-up prayer first and thereafter the normal prayer of that time should be performed.

ISSUE 5
If she hears a Qur’ânic verse of Sajda-e-Tilâwat during menstruation, sajda is not compulsory for her. Sajda-e-Tilâwat is not compulsory for Shafi’îs.

When a person cannot perform it due to a state of major ritual impurity (janaba), menstruation, post-natal bleeding (nifàs), or being without ritual ablution (wudu), he or she may recite four times “Subhanallâhi wal-hamdu lillahi walâ ilâha illallahu wallâhu akbar.”

ISSUE 6
If a woman with a seven-day menstruation habit bleeds for more than seven days, then she must observe caution. If it stops before ten days, she should have a bath and offer prayer just before the mustahab time ends. All these days are of menstruation and make-up is not necessary. But if bleeding continues after ten days, then the seven days of habit are menstruation and the remaining days are chronic discharge (istihada). This is the reason why she must have a bath immediately after ten days have passed and start performing prayer. She must also offer make-up prayer for the last three days.

ISSUE 7
If any woman menstruates for less than her normal habit, e.g. her habit was for seven days and her bleeding stopped after five days, then towards the end of the mustahab time of prayer, she should take a bath and offer her prayer. If she bleeds again within ten days from the time when she first started bleeding then she must stop prayer because if it continued for up to ten days or less, all these days are of menstruation.

 

If bleeding continued for more than ten days, then the seven days of habit are counted as menstruation and the remaining days are chronic discharge (istihada). She must offer make-up prayer for all days missed since the seventh day.

 

(We should therefore take account of ourselves and ensure that we do not neglect our prayer in such circumstances).

ISSUE 8
If a woman bled for a day or two and then stopped, it is not necessary for her to bath. She should make ritual ablution (wudu) and perform her prayer. She is not permitted to leave out prayer. If she started to bleed again within the ten days, then she must stop her prayer.

A mubtadeah should have a bath after ten days and start her prayer. In the case of a mo’tâda, she will be considered to be in menstruation up to her normal habit. After this she should take a bath and offer her prayer.

ISSUE 9
During menstruation it is mustahab [desirable] for a woman to make ritual ablution (wudu) at the time of every prayer and to sit where she performs her prayer and occupy herself in zikr of Subhanallâh (La-ilaha illallahu), etc., for the time it normally takes to complete her prayer so that her habit of performing her prayer remains.

 

ISSUE 10
If bleeding stops within ten days in the case of a mubtadeah or in the case of a mo’tâda if it stops before her normal habit is complete, then she should not have a bath immediately because there is a possibility that she may bleed again.

She should, therefore, observe caution and wait till the mustahab time of that particular fardh prayer is just about to end, she should take a bath and offer her prayer.

 

Menstruation and Saum [Fasting]

ISSUE 1
Although fasting during Ramadhân remains obligatory during menstruation, a woman should not fast during this period but it becomes compulsory for her to observe these as make-up fasts later on.

ISSUE 2
If bleeding started while she was fasting, her fast breaks even if there was a very little portion of the fast still left. Since the fast is not valid it is necessary for her to repeat it, whether it is fardh or nafl.

{Shafi’î women need not repeat Nafl fast.}

ISSUE 3
If a woman starts menstruating on the day when she was fasting, thereby causing her fast to break, she must still not eat or drink anything on that day. It is necessary for her to appear like others - as if she is fasting.

ISSUE 4
She should also not eat or drink on the day she becomes pure from menstruation and should also appear as if she is fasting.

ISSUE 5
If bleeding stops after dawn in Ramadhân and although she has not eaten anything, her fast is not valid even if she makes an intention to fast. Make-up becomes necessary for that particular fast as she was unclean for a certain portion of the day.

ISSUE 6

If bleeding continued for full ten days and ten nights and stopped just before dawn, leaving no time even to say Takbîr-e-Tahrima, then that particular fast becomes compulsory for her. She should make an intention and keep the fast.

 

If, however, bleeding stops within ten days and ten nights and there is time for a quick bath before dawn, then that fast becomes compulsory; but if there is no time for a bath, then it is not compulsory to fast that day.

 

In case the fast becomes compulsory, then she should make an intention and keep the fast. It does not matter if she takes a bath later on

Day Number	Date Bleeding Starts	Date Bleeding Ends	Menstruation Length	Cleanliness Length
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