Does My Period Starting after 9 PM Count as the First Day?

Answered By Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad

Question

My period started at night (after 9 PM). Does this count as the first day of my menstrual cycle?

Answer

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, his Family, and his Companions.

Yes, the menstrual cycle begins when the blood is first seen. The menstrual period (hayd) is a natural blood flow that occurs in women during certain days once they reach puberty. This blood is characterized by being thick, dark, and having an unpleasant odor, and it is impure.

Allah (Most High) says:

“They ask you (O Prophet) about menstruation. Say, ‘Beware of its harm! So keep away, and do not have intercourse with your wives during their monthly cycles until they are purified.’” [Quran, 2:222]

During menstruation, a woman is prohibited from certain actions, including:

• Performing prayers;
• Fasting;
• Touching the Mushaf (Quran);
• Circumambulating (Tawaf) around the Ka‘ba;
• Her husband having intercourse with her until she becomes pure again.

However, she must make up for the missed fasts but does not have to make up for the missed prayers.

If a woman sees menstrual blood, she must refrain from performing prayers and fasting, even if the blood flow is light. However, she should observe the following:

If the blood stops immediately and the area becomes dry or clean and does not return, it indicates that this was not menstrual blood since the minimum duration for menstruation is one day and one night. She should then make up for any prayers and fasts she missed, assuming she was menstruating.

However, if the blood returns and the total duration of the blood flow amounts to twenty-four hours, even if spread over multiple days (as long as it does not exceed fifteen days), it confirms that all those days are part of the menstrual cycle, including the days when the blood stopped. She should then continue to refrain from prayers and fasting until she becomes pure. Additionally, her fasts and prayers performed during the days of blood cessation are invalid, and she should make up for the missed fasts after her period ends, but she does not need to make up for the missed prayers.

Further Clarifications from Scholars

Ramli (Allah have mercy on him) said: “Whenever she sees intermittent blood, each segment being less than a day and night, but when combined it amounts to a day and night continuously, this is sufficient for it to be considered the minimum period of menstruation.” [Ramli, Nihayat al-Muhtaj]

Haytami (Allah have mercy on him) said: “The minimum duration (of menstruation) is a day and a night, meaning twenty-four continuous hours, even if it is spread out over fourteen days, based on the subsequent mention of the opinion of ‘dragging’ at the end of the chapter. It will become clear from what is mentioned later that what is meant by ‘continuity’ is that it should be like a cotton ball that, if inserted, would become stained, even if the blood does not reach what requires washing during istinja.’” [Haytami, Tuhfat al-Muhtaj]

In “Bushra al-Karim,” a Shafi‘i text, it states: “The minimum duration of menstruation, whether intermittent or continuous, is twenty-four hours.” [Ba Fadhl, Bushra al-Karim]

Conclusion

From this, we conclude that the menstrual cycle begins when the blood is first seen. If the blood continues for a day and a night, it is considered menstrual blood. Menstruation can last up to fifteen days; anything beyond that is considered istihada (irregular bleeding), which does not prevent the validity of prayers and similar acts that are forbidden during menstruation. And Allah knows best.

May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon our master Muhammad, his Family, and his Companions.

[Shaykh] Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad

Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad, born in Damascus, Syria, in 1965, pursued his Islamic studies in the mosques and institutes of Damascus. A graduate of the Islamic University of Medina in 1985, he holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from Bahauddin Zakariya University in Pakistan.

He has extensive experience developing curricula and enhancing the teaching of various academic courses, including conducting intensive courses. Shaykh Awad has taught Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Quranic sciences, the history of legislation, inheritance laws, and more at several institutes and universities such as Al-Furqan Institute for Islamic Sciences and Majma‘ al-Fath al-Islami in Damascus.

He is a lecturer at the Sultan Muhammad al-Fatih Waqf University in Istanbul, teaching various Arabic and Islamic subjects, and teaches at numerous Islamic institutes in Istanbul. Shaykh Awad is a member of the Association of Syrian Scholars, a founding member of the Zayd bin Thabit Foundation, a member of the Syrian Scholars Association, and a member of the Academic Council at the Iman Center for Teaching the Sunna and Quran.

Among his teachers from whom he received Ijazat are his father, Shaykh Muhammad Muhiyiddin Awad, Shaykh Muhiyiddin al-Kurdi, Shaykh Muhammad Karim Rajih, Shaykh Usama al-Rifai, Shaykh Ayman Suwaid, Shaykh Ahmad al-Qalash, Shaykh Muhammad Awwama, and Shaykh Mamduh Junayd.