How Should I Deal With Irregular Bleeding before My Menstruation?
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
Every time before I get my period, I get brownish/yellowish discharge a couple days before it starts. What is the ruling on praying tahajjud and Fajr with the same wudu? Let’s say I wake up 30 mins before Fajr to pray Tahajjud, and right after I want to pray Fajr, can I pray it with the same wudu or must I perform new wudu? What if the brown discharge is not continuous and just occurring every 1-3 hours a day? Because sometimes when I make new wudu and wipe I find nothing discharged, maybe another half an hour or an hour later there is some discharge again. Am I allowed to pray two prayers with the same wudu, given that I have Istihaada but it is not constantly flowing but occasionally?
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
The brown and yellow discharges that you are witnessing right before what you deem to be your menstruation are not irregular bleeding (istihada). They should be considered as menstruation as long as a period of purity of 15 days or more has preceded them. [Birgivi, Dhukr al-Mutaha‘ilin]
Finding a colored (i.e., non-white or clear) discharge when you are between the age of 9 lunar years old (8 solar years and eight months and three weeks) and 55 lunar years old (53 solar years and four months) means that you have witnessed blood that could potentially be menstruation. Any discharge that is not white or clear is blood and could potentially be menstruation blood. [Shaykh Ashraf Muneeb, Birigivi’s Manual interpreted; Birgivi, Dhukhr al-Mutaha‘ilin]
This means that as soon as you see one of these colored discharges after a period of purity of 15 days at least, you should stop praying and fasting and assume that your menstruation has started.
Proof
It has been narrated that female companions (May Allah be pleased with them all) would send the piece of cotton (kursuf) that they were using during their menstruations to Sayidatuna ‘A’isha (may Allah be pleased with her) in order to know if their menstruations have ended. When Sayidatuna ‘A’isha (may Allah be pleased with her) would see any colored discharge, they would tell them not to pray until they see a pure white discharge. [Imam Muhmmad’s narration of Muwatta Imam Malik; Ayni, Binaya]
Answer to Your Original Question
In order to deal with the issue you have raised when you are really affected by irregular bleeding (istihada), you simply have to apply the rulings found in this answer: The Fiqh of Chronic Excuses and Ablution
But again, the discharges you are seeing are menstruation, not istihada.
The wudu of one suffering from a chronic excuse becomes void only with
- the expiry of the prayer time or
- the occurrence of that which invalidates the wudhu, other than the current reason. [Shurunbulali, Imdad al-Fattah Sharh Nur al-Idah]
Thus, when Isha time ends and Fajr time enters, you will have to renew your wudu if you are excused.
Studying the Rulings of Menstruation
I can recommend two websites run by experts in the rulings of menstruation that can be helpful in learning this important aspect of our religious tradition:
These courses are not free.
If you can’t afford them, please go through this excellent free video series on the rulings related to menstruation: FREE Fiqh of Menstruation Video Series
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then, he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
