Must Women Stop Praying for Occasional Spotting?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

In the Shafi‘i school, if a woman sees light spotting once or twice a day before her regular menstrual flow begins, should she stop praying during those times? Does she need to check before every prayer, and does each new spotting after 24 hours require ghusl?

Also, if her discharge alternates between colored and clear due to a condition like PCOS, is her menstruation still limited to 15 days?

Answer

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

In the Shafi’i school, any discharge that has the colour of menstruation, such as red, brown, or yellow, is considered hayd if it meets the conditions of valid menstruation: it occurs within the possible time frame (i.e., the woman is not pregnant, is within childbearing age, and it occurs within the cycle’s regular pattern or between 15-day purity periods), and continues for at least 24 hours (even intermittently) within a 15-day maximum. [Nawawi, Rawdat al-Talibin]

As soon as a woman sees blood or coloured discharge (not clear/white), she must assume it is hayd, stop praying and fasting, and begin counting. If it turns out that less than 24 hours passed between the first sight and complete purity, she treats it as istihada (irregular bleeding), makes wudu for each salah time, and does not require ghusl. However, if the discharge continues beyond 24 hours (even with gaps), she confirms it was hayd and must perform ghusl before resuming prayer once she is fully clean.[Ibid.]

Even if the bleeding stops and she performs ghusl, then it resumes within the 15-day maximum, it will still count as one menstruation.

Always check at the end of each prayer time to avoid missing obligatory worship, and know that clear discharge is not menstrual blood.

And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town. He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.