Can I Follow One Madhhab for Ghusl and Another for Menstruation Due to OCD?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I struggle with OCD and prolonged bleeding, making Islamic practice very difficult. In the Hanafi madhhab, niyya is not required for ghusl, so I follow that due to OCD.

However, I lean toward other madhhabs regarding menstrual blood, which they define by flow and characteristics rather than just color.

Can I continue fasting and praying while following the Hanafi method of ghusl? Is talfiq permissible for me due to OCD?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

You can continue fasting and praying using the Hanafi method for ghusl while following the ruling of another madhhab for menstruation. Given your OCD and prolonged bleeding, this approach is permissible and even recommended to maintain ease in worship.

Separate Schools, Separate Issues

As for following one school of thought in one religious issue (mas’ala) and another in another issue, the scholars have allowed this (especially when there is a legitimate need), despite it not being ideal, with the following two conditions:

• It should not be done repeatedly merely following one’s whims or desires (tatabbu‘ al-rukhas);
• It must not be done in a manner that leads to the contradictory combining of rulings (talfiq). [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Please go through the valuable answers and links below. Insha’Allah, they will provide you with guidance and direction.

Related

• A Reader on OCD and Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings)
• Devil’s Tricks – The Path of Muhammad—Shaykh Faraz Rabbani (Video)
• Mental Health Workshop: An Islamic Guide to Dealing with Depression
• Doubts – IPD Session #3 | COJ – an ISIP Youth Chapter Initiative
• The Application of Islamic Psychotherapy for the Treatment of OCD
• Key Principles Relating to Certainty, Doubt, and Baseless Misgivings (Waswasa)
• A Reader on OCD and Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings)
• The Application of Islamic Psychotherapy for the Treatment of OCD—Dr. Hooman Keshavarzi (Video)
• How to Handle Constant Waswasa in Acts of Purification and Worship
• How Does One Perform the Prayer of Need (Salat al-Haja)?

Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance? You can choose from the Islamic Studies Curriculum or the Youth Islamic Studies Curriculum and progress through each course step by step.

I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.