Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Women's Issues Made Simple

Author:Batul S.Arastu

www.alhassanain.org/english

Table of Contents

Author’s Preface 4

Introduction 5

Notes: 7

Preamble 8

Different Kinds of Blood Seen by a Woman 8

Section 1: Istihadha 9

Verification 9

Signs of Istihadha 9

Types of Istihadha 9

Section 2: Rules of Istihadha 10

Rules for Qaleelah (Little flow): 10

Rules for Mutawassitah (Medium flow): 10

Rules for Katheera (Excessive flow): 11

Change of Intensity of Blood Flow 11

Change of Flow from Less to More 11

Change of Flow from More to Less: 12

Fasting during Istihadha: 12

Sex during Istihadha: 12

Miscellaneous Points regarding Istihadha 13

Section 3: Haidh (Menstruation or Period) 14

Verification 14

Signs 14

Ensuring it is Haidh 14

Categories of women 14

Rules for a Woman in Menses 15

Some scenarios of women having a ‘Habit of Time and Duration’ 15

Some scenarios of women who have a ‘Habit of Duration’ 16

Some scenarios of women who have a ‘Habit of Time’ 16

Some scenarios of Mudhtariba: Disordered Duration 18

Some scenarios of Mubtadiya: Beginner 19

Different Types of Menstruation 19

Qadha Salat 20

Miscellaneous Points regarding Haidh 21

Section 4: Nifas (Blood of Childbirth) 22

The final 4 days are istihadha 23

Section 5: Fasting Related Issues 25

Fasting and Istihadha 25

Fasting and Haidh 25

Ramadhan and Janabat 25

Section 6: Miscellaneous Issues 27

Ghusl (Ritual Bath) 27

Dress Code, Hijab (Islamic Covering) 27

Mahram and Non-Mahram 27

Section 7: Menopause 29

Section 8: Glossary of Terms 31

Section 9: References 33

10: Changes after Printing 34

Author’s Preface

Before I came to Qum I had many questions regarding specific issues related to women, the Islamic rules women must follow. One of the main issues all women face is that of different blood cycles. There are a lot ofFiqh (Jurisprudence) books that cover these sensitive topics for women, but I often found them very confusing for myself. Alhamdulillah, joining theHouza (Seminary) in Qum helped me in understanding these confusing issues. Apart from wanting to share what I learnt, I wanted to make my life easy so I decided to write a very simple book that talks mainly about different issues women face.

In this book we will be mainly discussing different blood cycles and the different women who are special in their own way. When you read this book you will be able to figure out what kind of a blood cycle you have andInshaAllah you will be able to perform your duties as per the laws of Islam, which is obligatory on all of us.

This book is written according to the rulings ofAyatullah Khomeini andAyatullah Seestani . Although most of theMaraaji ’ have similar views on these issues, it is important that sisters who follow otherMaraaji ’ should check with their ownMarja `, because there may be minor differences in the rulings.

I would like to thank my teacherKhanum Ferozi (fromJum`iat al-Zahra), who is such a great teacher. I used to dislike the subject ofFiqh , butKhanum Ferozi taught us so well, that I started loving this subject so much I decided to write about it!

I would also like to thank my husband who encouraged and helped me a great deal.

My sincere thanks to BrotherShuja AliMirza for all the help and input.

I would like to dedicate this book to my late mother,Syeda Rabab SultanaRazavi and my late mother in lawTahera BegumArastu .

Batool Arastu

Qum, Shawwal 15, 1426/ November 18, 2005

Introduction

All things are from God and to Him they all return. God as the ultimate Creator and Sustainer ofcreation, presides over its origin, unfolding, and end result. All things essentially refer to Him, and all matters only gain any meaning in reference to Him. Man is not outside of creation and hence falls under this general principle. The realization of his essential nature prefigures the goal and final end of man’s purpose and existence. God, in His infinite Mercy, provides and makes easy the way to this final end and destination of man. This “way” is nothing other than religion. Religion takes man from where he presently stands, as a limited creaturewho in his earthly nature is very weak, and ushers him towards his infinite Creator who informs the essence of his spirit. Now, as the Creator is one and encompasses all aspects of existence - being the ultimate Totality, His way or religion encompasses all aspects of man’s being. So no religion is a true religion unless it addresses all the needs of man in his journey to God. Religion must, by definition and on principle, shed light on all matters of man’s earthly and spiritual life. Earthly, insofar as the material earth is where man has been placed, and insofar as he has been given a physical body made of earth. Spiritual, insofar as the metaphysical heavens are where man has to return, and insofar as he has been given a spirit that is of divine inspiration.

Islam, as the final religion for mankind and in its terminal and conclusive nature, has been given the most comprehensive of all “ways” or directives that direct and regulate man’s activities towards his true destination. These directives cover man’s three aspects of body, soul or mind, and spirit. Among them there are those that deal with doctrine, beliefs, and man’s intellectual life. Others pertain to his heart and soul, and define the proper emotional etiquette that he is to follow as a moral being in the path of self-purification, and outline the correct ethicalbehaviour towards his fellow human beings. Others yet apply to his physical being and actions in the material world - whether acts of worship and their prerequisites, or the worldly dealings and interactions that he is involved in with other human beings. In its comprehensive nature, Islam applies all of these directives or laws to all levels of humanity - personal, social, and political. But not everything can be done all at once, hence Islam advises a practical course to follow. It asks the individual human being to “first” locate himself in the universe by understanding his relationship with his Maker and apply his will according to this understanding in the domain where it can be applied from the outset - that is on his own self. Hence, a personal routine of worship (which is the only appropriate action with respect to the Perfect Being who holds his very existence in His hands) is what is called for. But even worship is too much to be done all at once, and it too requires other smaller acts which prepare the worshiper and set the scene, so to speak; hence the idea of “ritual purity.”

Ritual purity is an idea that is found in all religions. It requires that the worshipper be in the right physical and mental state, so as to make the spiritual state that the particular act of worship aims for more probable. Now as the physical and mental characteristics of human beings differ according to their mental or physical health, their age, or their gender, it would not be worthy of an all-wise and all-knowing Creator to allow the state of ritual purity to be achieved by all these different types of human beings in the same way. Hence there exist different laws of ritual purity for the different classes and states that human beings hold.

Women, being the childbearing members of the human race who as a consequence of the fact undergo menstruation and postnatal bleeding, have special laws of ritual purity. These laws have been carefully derived by jurisprudents from authoritative sources and are firmly based in the written and oral tradition of orthodox Islam. Developments in jurisprudential methods and the natural accretions that the outcome of such methods is given to, has meant that a vast and very accurate set of rules has been collected over the centuries. The vastness is such that there is felt the danger of the average woman not being able to navigate her way through the rules, or perhaps worse, of her losing sight of the forest for the trees.

To start with the second of the two, it can be said that the danger of actually getting lost in the details of the rules of ritual purity and forgetting the purpose of worship, religion, and existence itself is a very real danger. It is, in the example of navigation used above, akin to being fixated on the compass and totally unaware of both the beautiful and awe inspiring scenery on the way and the final destination of the voyage. For on the one hand, the laws of religion are not self-serving and are meant for something beyond themselves, and on the other, these particular laws are just a small subset of the entire corpus of laws that incorporate God’s will for mankind as a whole. To take the part to be the whole is as great an error as one can make. This is because there exist laws which tell us to look around and see the beauty and majesty of God in the horizons that our ship is slipping through, and in our own selves, as captains of the ship; not to mention the great number of precepts which delineate not only the method and manner of our coexistence with the other passengers on the ship, but order us to get to know them - as this leads to knowledge of ourselves and of God. In short, Islam is comprehensive and all of its laws taken together give us a beautiful and balanced picture. Taking any one part and making it bigger than it is gives us a distorted picture and a grotesque caricature of the beauty that God meant for us to experience in the journey to Himself.[ 1]

Having mentioned the necessity of seeing the whole of Islam - laws and all - to appreciate Islam’s beauty and integrity, it is important to realize that wecan not do so immediately and we are, by the nature of things, obligated to start with an empty canvas and to build the final picture piece by piece; every piece being just as important to the whole as any other vis-à-vis the required completeness. So from this perspective which calls for wholeness, all parts of Islam and hence all parts of Islamic Law,fiqh , gain relatively equal importance. As a result, in principle it is just as important to have knowledge of the section on prayer as it is to be fully aware about the rules of inheritance or to understand the laws relating to slaves. But we live in the real world of limitations and there are aspects of the Law that pertain to us not only in principle but also in a practical and experiential sense. This means that practically speaking those parts of the Law that are pertinent to us assume a greater importance and we are called to follow them first.

The book that you see before you has as its goal the simple and uncomplicated exposition of that part of the Islamic Law that, at any given time, pertains to one half of humanity during most of their conscious adult life in a real and practical way. The text explains in a clear language the special rules and methodology that women must follow during their menstrual cycles and at other times to achieve ritual purity. It has as its strengths, a systematic layout that helps to chart the sometimes complicated territory that these rules have come to form. The copious use of examples and scenarios greatly helps to make the laws and rules accessible and understandable.

It is perhaps not the first book of its kind, but it can be said that it is one of the best. Moreover, given the fact that most scholars of Islam who teach in the Muslim world are men, for whom these issues - though formallystudied - are not experienced realities, and hence are either easily forgotten or talked about with hesitation, a proverbial “blind spot” has come into existence. This book helps in eliminating this blind spot and in filling the large vacuum and need that exists for practical guidance with respect to this subject. As such, the author must be commended for both having realized the need in question and for having made the valiant efforts in responding to it in the way that she has.

We ask Allah to help us follow all the laws of His final religion in the best and most complete of manners.

Notes:

[1]It is a noteworthy fact that Imam Khomeini (r) in his historical lectures on Islamic Government that changed the destiny of mankind in our century, actually mentioned menstruation three times. He said, “…the servants of imperialism declared that Islam is not a comprehensive religion providing for every aspect of human life and has no laws or ordinances pertaining to society. It has no particular form of government. Islam concerns itself only with rules of ritual purity after menstruation and parturition. It may have a few ethical principles, but it certainly has nothing to say about human life in general and the ordering of society. …In order to make the Muslims, especially the intellectuals, and the younger generation, deviate from the path of Islam, foreign agents have constantly insinuated that Islam has nothing to offer, that Islam consists of a few ordinances concerning menstruation and parturition, and that this is the proper field of study for the mullahs. … [Hence, I ask you to] present Islam to the people in its true form, so that our youth do not picture the mullahs as sitting in some corner in Najaf or Qum, studying the questions of menstruation and parturition instead of concerning themselves with politics, and draw the conclusion that religion must be separate from politics…”

Preamble

Allah (SWT) has created all women, but each individual woman is different. For example every woman has her own unique blood cycle. In Islamic law there are different rules for the kind of blood seen by a woman. There are specific rules forHaidh ,Istihadha andNifas . It can often be very confusing for a God wary woman to understand what state she is in and follow the necessary rulings according to Islamic Jurisprudence, so that she can seek closeness to Allah (SWT). First, let us talk about the different kinds of blood seen by a woman.

Different Kinds of Blood Seen by a Woman

There are 3 types of blood that a woman may see:

Istihadha (irregular blood discharge during the month)

Haidh (period or menstruation)

Nifas (blood after childbirth)

Section 1:Istihadha

Istihadha is a type of blood seen by women where the discharge is irregular. In order to better understand the rules ofistihadha and the different types ofistihadha let us follow the eight simple guidelines below:

Verification

If the blood seen has the following conditions, then it isistihadha .

If the blood seen is not part of the regular menstrual cycle

If the blood seen is notNifas (blood seen after childbirth)

If the blood seen is not from a boil or from surgery

Signs ofIstihadha

Blood seen at the time ofistihadha usually has its own distinctive features. It:

Is usually yellowish in color

Is not thick

Is cold

Comes out without force and without burning

However, there are always some exceptions. A woman may seeistihadha blood that is red or dark, thick; warm or that comes out with force and burning.

Types ofIstihadha

After following steps 1 and 2, thatis after one verifies that the blood seen isistihadha , the next step is to know what type ofistihadha it is, as the rules differ for each type. To determine what type ofistihadha it is, one must place cotton on the surface of the vagina and see how much blood soaks the cotton. Below are the three different types ofistihadha one will determine after the test:

Qaleelah (Little flow): when tested on a piece of cotton, blood is on the surface and does not show on the reverse side.

Mutawasittah (Medium flow): when tested on a piece of cotton, blood seeps in and maybe seen on the reverse side. Blood does not stain the underwear.

Katheera (Excessive flow): when tested on a piece of cotton, blood flows out from the cotton and leaves a stain on the underwear.

Note: The best way to examine the type ofistihadha is on a piece of cotton, because on a sanitary pad the blood is absorbed and usually a sanitary pad has a plastic base to avoid leakage. Hence to determine the type ofistihadha cotton should be used.

Section 2: Rules ofIstihadha

Having determined the type ofistihadha , there are now different rules for the different types of blood. We have already talked about how to determine the type ofistihadha blood above.

Rules forQaleelah (Little flow):

Wash the surface of the vagina

Change the cotton

For each prayer perform one newwudhu (ablution)

All other kinds of worship wherewudhu is necessary require a newwudhu as perIhtiyat -e-Wajib , (Imam Khomeini). What this means is if a woman has madewudhu forsalat and if she decides to touch the script of the Qur’an she needs to dowudhu aftersalat again.

But, As perAyatullah Seestani it iswajib (not justihtiyate wajib ) to dowudhu again for the other acts of worship that requirewudhu .

Note: To prevent the blood from gushing out, let the cotton stay in vagina. If the blood comes out in the midst of the prayers it will be deemed void.

Further explanation: If a woman sees a little discharge of blood and as per the signs and verification she is sure itsistihadha then, for performing each prayer she should wash the surface of her vagina, change the cotton and performWudhu .

Helping Note: Let the cotton stay in vagina. Between 2 prayers examine it; if no blood is seen, renewing theWudhu is not necessary.

Rules forMutawassitah (Medium flow):

Do the 3 steps ofQaleelah

For the first prayer (recited after the woman sees blood) performghusl

From the next day, performghusl for the morning prayerseveryday . This is as per Imam Khomeini.

Also, according toAyatullah Seestani , if a woman performsghusl for the afternoon prayers, she should performghusl the next day in the morning. In this scenario aghusl in the morning is required too. That is, if she performs firstghusl in the afternoon then she needs to perform the nextghusl in the morning, next day.

Note: All other kinds of worship wherewudhu is necessary should be done with a newwudhu as perIhtiyat -e-Wajib , (Imam Khomeini). What this means is if a woman has madewudhu forsalat and if she decides to touch the script of the Qur’an she needs to dowudhu again aftersalat .

As perAyatullah Seestani itswajib to dowudhu again for the other acts of worship that requirewudhu .

Another important point:Ayatullah Seestani says that a woman should perform theghusl first and then dowudhu as perIhtiyat -e-Wajib.Whereas,Imam Khomeini says it does not matter if one performsghusl first orwudhu .

Further explanation: If a woman sees medium discharge of blood and as per the signs and verification she is sure it isistihadha then, for performing each prayer she should wash the surface of her vagina, change the cotton and performWudhu and in addition performghusl if it is the firstsalat of the day.

From the next day in addition to doing the 3 steps ofQaleelah , she should performghusl for the morning prayers only, BUT for the other prayers she should wash the surface of the vagina, change the cotton and dowudhu for each prayer.

Rules forKatheera (Excessive flow):

For each prayer perform oneghusl Do the 3 steps ofQaleelah

If prayingAsr right afterDhuhr orIsha right afterMaghrib , only 3ghusls are enough for the day.

Further explanation: If a woman sees excessive discharge of blood and as per the signs and verification if she is sure it isistihadha then, for performing each prayer she should performghusl and then wash the surface of the vagina and then change the cotton and dowudhu .

But if a woman is going to prayAsr prayers right afterDhuhr prayers andIsha prayers right afterMaghrib Prayers only oneghusl for each set of prayers will suffice. However, betweenDhuhr andAsr ,Maghrib andIsha she must wash, change the cotton and dowudhu .

Important Note: As perAyatullah Seestani wudhu is not needed after theghusl but if a woman wishes she should do it beforeghusl forKatheera . Whereas, Imam Khomeini says it does not matter ifwudhu is made beforeghusl or after, butwudhu is required.

Change of Intensity of Blood Flow

When one sees the intensity of the blood flow increase, then there are different rules that apply:

Change of Flow from Less to More

Qaleelah toMutawassitah (Little to Medium flow)

Qaleelah toKatheera (Little to Excessive flow)

Mutawassitah toKatheera (Medium to Excessive flow)

Rules to be followed if the blood flow changes from less to more as stated above:

If before prayer: If the intensity of the blood flow changes from less to more, before a woman prays:

If the flow changes from little to medium then the rules for medium apply.

If the flow changes from little/medium to excessive then the rules for excessive apply.

Note: For explanation of rules for little flow, medium flow and excessive, refer to the rules ofIstihadha .

Duringprayers:If a woman feels while praying that the intensity of the blood flow changed from less to more:

If by discontinuing the prayers there is no fear that they will becomeQadha , then a woman should discontinue praying and take care of the duty as per the rules, then perform prayers.

Further explanation: If a woman starts praying and realizes that the blood flow has increased then she should see if there is enough time left so that her prayers do not getQadha . If there is enough time left then she should discontinue her prayers.

After discontinuing her prayers she should check to see if the flow has increased to medium or excessiveistihadha , and then follow the rules accordingly.

If there is not enough time left, then she should not discontinue the prayers. She should complete the prayers, then check to see if the intensity of the flow increased to medium flow or excessive flow. Follow the rules accordingly, and then repeat the prayer again with the intention ofQadha .

Change of Flow from More to Less:

Katheera toQaleelah (Excessive to Little)

Katheera toMutawassitah (Excessive to Medium)

Mutawassitah toQaleelah (Medium to Little)

Rules to be followed if the blood flow changes from more to less as stated above:

For the first prayer a woman should follow the rules as per the state she was in. Prayers after that are going to be according to the state she is in.

Further explanation: If a woman is in the state ofKatheera (Excessive flow) and before prayingDhuhr she realizes that she is in the state ofQaleelah (Little) now, she should follow the rules forKatheera for prayingDhuhr and then forAsr she should follow the rules forQaleela .

If a woman afterDhuhr realizes that state she is not in a state ofKatheera anymore but she is in a state ofQaleela now, she should still follow the rules forKatheera for prayingAsr and then forMaghrib and the prayers after that she should follow the rules ofQaleela .

Fasting duringIstihadha :

DuringQaleela : A woman should follow the rules she follows before prayers.With the only exception that a cotton should be inserted inside the vagina to prevent the blood from gushing out. (As per Imam Khomeini this isIhtiyat -e-Wajib for all the states ofistihadha )

DuringMutawassitah : A woman should follow the rules she follows before prayers.With the only exception that a cotton should be inserted inside the vagina to prevent the blood from gushing out.

DuringKatheera : A woman should performghusl , the evening before for prayers ofMaghrib .

And…

Performghusl for each prayer if there is not going to be a gap between the prayers. For example if she performsghusl forMaghrib and then praysIsha right afterMaghrib , then anotherghusl is not needed.

And…

Insert cotton inside the vagina, to prevent the blood from gushing out.

Note:Ayatullah Seestani says that it is not a problem if the blood gushes out during the fast, and the fast is valid, but she has to prevent the blood from gushing out of her vagina during hersalats .

Sex duringIstihadha :

During the state ofQaleelah : Rules ofQaleelah (Under ‘Rules ofIstihadha ’) apply.

During the state ofMutawassitah : Must haveghusl before sex.

During the state ofKatheera : Must haveghusl before sex. But if sex is performed soon after prayers,ghusl is not necessary.

Note:Ayatullah Seestani says thatghusl is not needed before sex in any of the three conditions ofistihadha . (Performingghusl isIhtiyat -e-Mustahab )

Miscellaneous Points regardingIstihadha

According toAyatullah Seestani if a woman is not sure if she is in a stateMutawassitah orQaleelah she should consider it asQaleelah . Another scenario would be if a woman is not sure if she is in a state ofKatheera orMutawassitah . In this case she should consider it to beMutawassitah .In other words when in doubt she must always go with the lesser one.

If a woman delays her prayers thinking that herIstihadha will stop before thesalat becomesQadha , then it is okay to do so as long as she does not delay her prayers so long that they becomeQadha .

Salat eAyat is the prayers that are obligatory at the time of natural calamities for example, an earthquake, a lunar eclipse, or a solar eclipse etc.Salatul Ayat is obligatory on a woman who is experiencingIstihadha . All the rules required for a woman inistihadha during the other obligatory prayers are also required for thissalat . (Please note: Same rules apply for all the obligatory prayers.)