What is the Ruling of Spotting After Taking Period Delaying Pills?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

My usual period lasts 6 days. My last period started on May 5 and lasted 6 days. I took period-delay pills from May 26 to June 10.

I experienced brown spotting on June 6, no bleeding on June 7-8 when I performed Tawaf al-Ziyarah, little blood on June 9, light spotting on June 10, and bleeding from June 11-16.

It stopped on the evening of June 16, after which I performed namaz but not tawaf.

Is my tawaf valid, or should I repeat it? Alima said it’s due to pills. Can you perform tawafs?

Answer

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

Allah Most High accepts your Hajj and makes it a means of continuous guidance and blessings in life.

The bleeding was caused by the pills, not menstruation, so the spotting and little blood are irregular bleeding due to the pills. All your Hajj rites and worship are valid. Bleeding from June 11-16 will be considered your menses since it occurred during your period.

Ruling of Irregular Bleeding

During irregular bleeding (istihada), one prays, fasts during Ramadan, recites and touches the Quran, enters a mosque, performs Tawaf with wudu, and may have intimacy with her husband. [Birgivi, Dhukhr al-Muta’ahhilin]

Menstruation is Blood From Uterus Within Time of Menses

Withdrawal bleeding is considered menses if it falls within the time of menstruation. Doctors generally say that withdrawal bleeding is not menstruation, but what they mean is that it is not the natural blood that occurs due to ovulation.

However, the legal definition of menstruation is not dependent upon ovulation. Rather, menstruation is blood that originates from the uterus. (Ibn’ Abidin, Manhal al-Waridin)

Advice

Every woman must record her menses, lochia, and purity habits. The date and time any vaginal blood begins, including the spotting of blood, and the date and time any vaginal blood ends.

I advise contacting a local, reliable female scholar who is well-versed in matters of menstruation. Also, try to attend any on-the-ground and online courses on menstruation.

Also, at your earliest convenience, buy books related to the topic; some are linked below.

It is a personal obligation (fard) for every adult woman to learn the basic rules of menstruation and to ask, as you’ve done, in the case of a complicated or unique situation.

The book A Woman’s Guide to Menstruation Rulings by Naielah Ackbarali is a good book for learning these rulings. It is in English and includes many practical examples, real-life experiences, and even charts to calculate menstruation.

Also, you can download the first-ever menstruation-tracking app, personalized for Muslim women, to understand menses, purity, irregular bleeding, lochia, and more at first glance.

The application is in harmony with religious scholarship. See the link below.

And Allah knows best.

[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Related Answers

• A Muslim Woman’s Guide To Menstruation Rulings: Amazon.co.uk: Ackbarali, Naielah(Recommended book)
• Coming of Age by Hedaya Hartford (Recommended book)
• myhayd.app | First Ever Islamic Period Tracking App Personalized For Muslim Women | Hayd Tuhr Istihadah Nifaas Pregnancy
• FREE Fiqh of Menstruation Video Series

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.