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یہ صفحہ اردو میں بھی موجود ہے۔ زبان کی تبدیلی کے لیے نیچے بٹن دبائیں۔
Question:
I am facing an issue regarding menstruation, I cannot understand what to call it. My discharge is red, it is also foul-smelling, and it is turning from red to brown. Is this menstruation or istihadah?
Answer:
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
In the presented case, the condition you have described, that the discharge is red, then the redness turns brownish, its ruling cannot be given absolutely based on color alone. Rather, in this, the ruling is determined by looking at your previous menstrual habit, the days of your last purity, and the duration of the blood/discharge.
The Basic Principle of Difference Between Menstruation and Istihadah
All colors except pure whiteness (such as yellow, green, brown, red, etc.) if they occur during the days of menstruation, they are counted as menstruation. Therefore, if this red or brown substance is coming during your habitual days, the original ruling will be that it is counted as menstruation.
And if it comes on days other than the days of your menstrual habit, then it should be seen that if fifteen days have not passed since the last menstruation ended, then this is istihadah until the fifteen days of the interval are completed. After that, during the habitual days, it will again be counted as menstruation. (To understand further, read the complete details, more explanation is coming ahead.)
What will be the ruling if blood comes for more than the habitual period?
Furthermore, if after the completion of the habitual days, pure whiteness does not appear and colored discharge/blood continues, then one should wait until ten days are completed. If it stops before ten days are completed, then all the days it came will be counted as menstruation. And the habit will change. But if it exceeds even ten days, then your previous habitual days will be counted as menstruation and the blood after that will be istihadah.
An Example of Differentiating Between Menstruation and Istihadah in the Case of Menstruation Exceeding the Habitual Period
For example: If the habit was six days but blood continued on the seventh day as well, it cannot be immediately declared as istihadah because ten days have not yet been completed, and the habit can go up to ten days. Therefore, one must wait. If the blood stops in less than 10 days after exceeding 6, for example, it stops in 9 days, then it will be understood that the habit has now become 9 days and these 9 days were full menstruation.
But if the blood goes beyond even 10 days, for example, for 11-12 days, then it will be understood that menstruation was only 6 days according to the habit, the days after that were of istihadah, therefore, the prayers of the days of istihadah will have to be made up.
The Minimum Duration of Days of Purity (Tuhur) | Can menstruation occur again before the month is complete?
There must be a minimum of fifteen days of purity between two menstruations. Therefore, if after one menstruation ends, blood/colored discharge starts again before fifteen days are completed, then that is not menstruation but is counted as istihadah; in this state, the woman is in the rulings of purity according to Shariah, meaning she will perform prayer, fasting, etc.
Therefore, the answer to your question is that merely seeing “red/brown” will not immediately be declared as istihadah. Rather,
- If this is within the days of habit or the duration of menstruation, then it will be menstruation.
- And if it came before the fifteen days of purity, then it will be istihadah.
- And if it exceeds ten days beyond the habit, then the habitual days will be menstruation and the rest will be counted as istihadah.
Based on this, the mention of foul smell does not become the primary criterion in the Shariah classification; the primary basis is on habit, days, and duration.
The Ruling for the Husband Regarding Intercourse During Istihadah and Suspicious Days (Where There is No Certainty Whether Menstruation is Continuing or Has Ended)
And if the issue is also related to intercourse, then intercourse is permissible for the husband during the days of istihadah.
However, if the blood stops before the completion of the habitual days, then prayer becomes obligatory and should be started after the ritual bath, but intercourse will not be permissible for the husband before the completion of the habitual days, because it is possible that menstruation has not yet ceased but there is an intermittent pause due to some temporary physical reason, and if menstruation ends according to the habit, then permission will be after the ritual bath (or after the passing of one prayer’s time).
To give a definitive ruling in your specific case, these details are necessary:
- On what date did the last menstruation end?
- How many days of purity were there after that?
- What is your fixed habit in terms of days?
- And for how many days has the current red/brown discharge been?
- And has pure whiteness appeared or not?
Based on these details, the ruling of menstruation or istihadah on the coming blood or substance can be definitively determined for you.
فقط واللہ أعلم
