Wait for as long as your menstrual period normally stops you, and then take a ritual bath

Arabic text

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أُمِّ المُؤْمِنينَ رَضي الله عنها أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ: إِنَّ أُمَّ حَبِيبَةَ بِنْتَ جَحْشٍ الَّتِي كَانَتْ تَحْتَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ شَكَتْ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الدَّمَ، فَقَالَ لَهَا: «امْكُثِي قَدْرَ مَا كَانَتْ تَحْبِسُكِ حَيْضَتُكِ، ثُمَّ اغْتَسِلِي». فَكَانَتْ تَغْتَسِلُ عِنْدَ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ.

Translation

‘Ā’ishah, Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: ’Umm Habībah bint Jahsh, who was the wife of ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn ‘Awf, complained to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about blood. He told her: "Wait for as long as your menstrual period normally stops you, and then take a ritual bath." So, she used to take a ritual bath for every prayer.

Explanation

One of the female Companions complained to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about experiencing an incessant flow of blood. He ordered her to stop praying for as long as her menstrual period normally prevented her from praying before experiencing that new situation; then, she should take a ritual bath and pray. So, she used to take a ritual bath voluntarily before each prayer.

Benefits

• Istihādah (vaginal bleeding outside the menstrual period) is: when a woman experiences an incessant flow of blood after her usual menstrual period is over.
• A woman experiencing Istihādah should consider herself menstruating for as many days as her menses would normally last before starting to have Istihādah.
• If the number of days of her normal menstrual period passes, she is considered pure from menstruation - even if she is bleeding of Istihādah - and should take a ritual bath.
• A woman experiencing Istihādah is not required to take a ritual bath for each prayer because the female Companion (may Allah be pleased with her) would take a ritual bath based on her personal reasoning. Had it been obligatory, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would have made it clear to her.
• A woman experiencing Istihādah is required to make ablution for every prayer because her Hadath (ritual impurity) is incessant, and this applies to every person whose Hadath is incessant like the one who suffers from incontinence of urine or continuous passing of wind.
• Asking the people of knowledge about confusing religious matters, as this woman complained to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him about the excessive bleeding she was suffering from.

Topics

• Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles
• Jurisprudence of Acts of Worship
• Purification
• Menses, Postpartum Bleeding, Extra-Menses Bleeding