this is a vein. Abstain from prayer only for a number of days similar to those of your normal menses; then, take a ritual bath and pray

Arabic text

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أُمِّ المؤمنين رضي الله عنها أَنَّ فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتَ أَبِي حُبَيْشٍ سَأَلَتِ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَتْ: إِنِّي أُسْتَحَاضُ فَلاَ أَطْهُرُ، أَفَأَدَعُ الصَّلاَةَ؟ فَقَالَ: «لَا، إِنَّ ذَلِكِ عِرْقٌ، وَلَكِنْ دَعِي الصَّلاَةَ قَدْرَ الأَيَّامِ الَّتِي كُنْتِ تَحِيضِينَ فِيهَا، ثُمَّ اغْتَسِلِي وَصَلِّي».

Translation

‘Ā’ishah, the Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that Fātimah bint Abi Hubaysh asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) saying: I have a continuous flow of vaginal bleeding; so, I never attain purity (from menses). Should I abstain from prayer? He replied: "No, this is a vein. Abstain from prayer only for a number of days similar to those of your normal menses; then, take a ritual bath and pray."

Explanation

Fātimah bint Hubaysh asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) saying: I have a ceaseless flow of vaginal bleeding that continues even outside the menstrual period. Does this have the same ruling of menstruation so I should abstain from prayer? The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) replied saying: It is Istihādah (vaginal bleeding outside the menstrual period), which is a kind of illness caused by the rupture of a vein in the uterus and it is not menstrual blood. Therefore, when the time you used to experience your normal menses, before getting sick with Istihādah, do not pray, fast, or perform any act of worship that the menstruating woman must not perform during her menses. After this period is over, you attain purity from menstruation. So, wash the place from where the blood flows and wash your whole body to remove the state of Hadath (ritual impurity), and then pray.

Benefits

• It is obligatory for a woman to take a ritual bath when her menstruation is over.
• It is obligatory for a woman suffering from Istihādah to perform prayer.
• Hayd (menstruation): It refers to the normal blood that is discharged by the uterus through the vagina of an adult woman during known days.
• Istihādah: It refers to the flow of blood from the nearest part of the uterus, not its bottom, outside its normal time.
• The difference between the blood of Hayd and that of Istihādah is that the former is black, thick, and smelly whereas the latter is red, thin, and not smelly.

Topics

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