Liaison office of Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Al Sistani (L.M.H.L) in London, Europe, North and South America.
One type of blood which is seen by women is called istihaza and a woman in
that state is called mustahaza.
398. Istihaza is usually yellowish and cold and is emitted without
gush or irritation and is also not thick. It is, however, possible that at times
the colour of the blood may be red or dark, and it may also be warm and thick
and may be issued with gush and irritation.
399. There are three kinds of istihaza viz. slight (Qalila), medium
(Mutawaassita) and excessive (Kathira). Explanation is given below:
Little blood (Qalila): If the blood remains on the surface of the
wool or pad etc., (placed by a woman on her private part) but does not
penetrate into it, the istihaza is called qalila.
Medium blood (Mutawassita): If the blood penetrates into the cotton
(or pad etc.), even partially, but does not soak the cloth tied on the outer
side, the istihaza is called mutawassita.
Excessive blood (Kathira): If the blood penetrates through the
cotton, soaking it and the cloth (etc.) around it, the istihaza is called
kathira.
Rules of Istihaza
400. In the case of little istihaza the a woman should perform
separate Wudhu for every prayer and should, as a recommended precaution, wash
or change the pad. And if some blood is found on the outer part of her private
parts she should make it Pak with water.
401. In the case of Mutawassita, it is an obligatory precaution for
a woman to make one Ghusl everyday for her daily prayers, and she should act
accordingly to the rules of little Istihaza as explained in the foregoing rule.
If the state of Istihaza began before or just at the time of Fajr prayers, she
should do Ghusl before offering Fajr prayers.
If she does not do Ghusl
intentionally or forgetfully, she should do Ghusl before Zuhr and Asr prayers.
And if she misses even that, then she should do Ghusl before praying Maghrib
and Isha. This she would do regardless of whether bleeding continues or stops.
402. In the case of excessive bleeding the woman should change, as an
obligatory precaution, the cotton or pad tied to her private parts or make it
Pak with water. It is also necessary that she should do one Ghusl for Fajr
prayers, one for Zuhr and Asr prayers and once again for Maghrib and Isha
prayers.
She should offer Asr prayers immediately after Zuhr prayers and
if she allowed any lapse of time between them, she should do Ghusl again for
Asr prayers. Similarly if she keeps any time gap between Maghrib and Isha
prayers, she should do Ghusl again for Isha prayers.
All these rules apply when bleeding is so excessive that it continues soiling
the pad etc. But if it takes longer to soil the cotton or pad, and a woman has
enough time to pray one or more Namaz in between, then, as per obligatory
precaution, she would change the pad or wash it to make Pak and then do Ghusl
only when the cloth covering the pad or cotton is fully soaked.
For
example, if a woman praying Namaz of Zuhr finds out that the cloth is fully
soaked again before the prayers of Asr, she would do Ghusl for Asr prayers.
And if she finds that the flow of blood is slow enough to allow two or more
prayers to be offered before the cotton or cloth is totally soiled with blood,
there will be no need for Ghusl before the ensuing prayer.
For example, if
she finds that there is enough time to offer even Maghrib and Isha prayers,
before the cloth is fully soaked, she would pray Maghrib and Isha without
Ghusl. In every case, the Ghusl in excessive Istihaza does not require Wudhu
after it.
403. If istihaza blood is seen before the time for prayers has set in,
and the woman has not performed Wudhu or Ghusl for that bleeding, she should
perform Wudhu or Ghusl at the time of prayers, even though she may not be
mustahaza at that time.
404. A woman whose Istihaza is medium should first do Ghusl and then
Wudhu, as per obligatory precaution. But if a woman with excessive Istihaza
wishes to do Wudhu, she should do so before the Ghusl.
405. When a woman who had little Istihaza finds out after Fajr prayers
that her Istihaza has developed into medium one, she will have to do Ghusl for
Zuhr and Asr prayers. And if that change occurs after Zuhr, Asr prayers, then
she will do a Ghusl for Maghrib and Isha prayers.
406. If a woman finds out after Fajr prayers that her little or medium
Istihaza had developed into an excessive one, and remained in that state, then
she should follow the directives given in rule no. 402 in respect of Zuhr,
Asr, Maghrib and Isha prayers.
407. As explained in rule 402, a woman in excessive Istihaza must
ensure that there is no time gap between Ghusl and the prayers. Therefore, if
such a gap occurs because of doing Ghusl earlier, then that Ghusl will be
void, and the woman will have to do Ghusl again. This rule applies to those
also who are in medium Istihaza.
408. Apart from the rules pertaining to the daily prayers which have
been explained earlier, a woman in little and medium Istihaza must do Wudhu
for all other prayers, Wajib or Mustahab. But if she desires to repeat, as a
precautionary measure, the daily prayers which she has already offered or if
she wishes to offer once again with congregation the prayers which she had
offered individually, she should perform all the acts which have been
mentioned with regard to Istihaza.
In the case of Namaz of Ihtiyat,
"forgotten sajdahs", "forgotten tashahud" which are performed immediately
after the prayers it is not necessary for her to follow the rules of Istihaza.
Similarly, no rules of Istihaza will apply for performing Sajda-e-Sahv at any
time.
409. After the bleeding of a mustahaza woman has stopped, she should
follow the rules of istihaza only for the first subsequent prayers which she
may offer. For further prayers which follow, the rules of Istihaza would not
be necessary.
410. If a woman does not know what kind of Istihaza she has, she
should insert into herself some cotton and wait a while to ascertain. And when
she knows which kind of Istihaza it is she would follow the rules prescribed.
And, if she is sure that the type of Istihaza will not change by the time she
stands for her prayers she may carry out the test before the time for prayers
sets in.
411. If a mustahaza woman starts her prayers without making any
investigation, but her intention is to obey the orders of Allah and act
according to her duty then her prayers are valid. For example, if her Istihaza
was little, and she acted according to its rules, her prayers will be correct
and valid.
But if she did not have the intention of obeying Allah or
following the rules, her prayers would be invalid. For example, she followed
the rules of little Istihaza while in actual fact she was in the medium one,
her prayers would be invalid.
412. If a mustahaza woman cannot discern about her Istihaza she should
act according to the minimum certitude. For example, if she does not know
whether her Istihaza is little or medium she should follow the rules which are
prescribed for little Istihaza. And if she does not know whether her Istihaza
is medium or excessive she should perform the rules prescribed for the medium
Istihaza. But, if she knows which of the three kinds of Istihaza she has had
previously, then she should act according to the rules for that kind of
Istihaza.
413. If at the time of its initial appearance the blood of istihaza
remains within the interior of the body and does not come out, it does not
nullify the Wudhu and Ghusl already performed by the woman. And if it comes
out, it nullifies the Wudhu and Ghusl even if its quantity be very small.
414. If a mustahaza woman examines herself after Namaz and finds no
blood, she can say other prayers with the same Wudhu, even if she knows that
the blood would reappear.
415. If a mustahaza woman knows that since the time she has engaged
herself with Wudhu or Ghusl blood has not come out of her body, she can defer
offering prayers for as long as she knows she will remain in that pure state.
416. If a mustahaza woman knows that before the time for prayers comes
to an end, she will become totally Pak, or if she knows that at certain time,
bleeding would stop for the time required for offering prayers she should wait
and offer prayers when she is Pak.
417. If a Mustahaza, after having done Wudhu and Ghusl, finds that the
bleeding has ceased, and she feels that if she delays the prayers she will
become fully Pak, within the time required for Wudhu, Ghusl and Namaz, she
should delay the prayers, and offer them after performing fresh Wudhu and
Ghusl when she has become fully Pak.
But if time for prayers is limited,
it will not be necessary for her to perform Wudhu and Ghusl. She should offer
prayers with the Wudhu and Ghusl which she already has.
418. When a mustahaza woman whose bleeding has been excessive becomes
fully Pak, she should do Ghusl. However, if she knows that no blood was seen
after having Ghusl for the previous prayers, it is not necessary for her to do
Ghusl again. As for medium Istihaza, it is not necessary to do Ghusl after
bleeding has stopped.
419. Mustahaza women, with little, medium or excessive bleeding,
should commence their prayers immediately after having acted according to
their respective rules, except in the situations described in rules 403 and
415. But to recite Adhan and Iqamah before Namaz or performing Mustahab acts
like Qunut etc, will have no objection.
420. If a mustahaza woman who is required to allow no time gap between
Wudhu or Ghusl and her prayers, does not act accordingly, she would make Wudhu
or do Ghusl again and then pray without any delay.
421. If the blood of Istihaza has a swift flow and does not stop, and
if stoppage of blood is not harmful to her, she should try to prevent the blood
from coming out after Ghusl. And if she ignores doing so, and the blood comes
out, she should offer prayers all over again if she had already prayed.
Moreover, it is a recommended precaution that she repeats the Ghusl.
422. If blood does not stop at the time of Ghusl the bath is in order.
But, if during the Ghusl the medium Istihaza becomes excessive it will be
necessary for her to start Ghusl all over again.
423. For a Mustahaza woman who is fasting, it is a recommended
precaution that she prevents the blood from issuing out of the body,
throughout the day, as far as possible.
424. It is widely held that the fast of a woman whose Istihaza is
excessive will be valid only if in the night preceding the day on which she
intends to fast she does Ghusl for the prayers of Maghrib and Isha, and also
does Ghusl during day time which are obligatory for the daily prayers.
But most likely, the validity of her fasting does not depend on the Ghusl.
Similarly, the validity of a woman fasting during medium Istihaza does not
depend on the Ghusl.
425. If a woman becomes mustahaza after Asr prayers and does not do
Ghusl till sunset her fast will undoubtedly be in order.
426. If a woman in little Isithaza finds out before starting the
prayers that her bleeding has become excessive or medium, she should perform
the rules prescribed for medium or excessive Istihaza as mentioned above. And
if the medium Istihaza becomes excessive she should follow the rules
prescribed for excessive Istihaza. And in case she has done Ghusl for medium
Istihaza it would not suffice, and she should do Ghusl again for excessive
Istihaza.
427. If the medium Istihaza becomes excessive while she is already in
Namaz, she should break the prayers and do Ghusl for excessive Istihaza and
also perform other relevant acts and repeat the same prayers. And on the basis
of recommended precaution she should perform Wudhu before Ghusl. And if she
does not have time for Ghusl it is necessary that she should perform tayammum
instead of Ghusl.
And if she finds that no time is left even for tayammum
then she should, on the basis of precaution, not break the prayers and
complete the same in that very condition. It will be necessary for her to
offer Qadha later. Similar rules will apply if during the Namaz her little
Istihaza becomes medium or excessive, she will have to discontinue her Namaz
and follow the rules of medium or excessive Istihaza, whichever be applicable.
428. If the blood stops during Namaz and the mustahaza woman does not
know whether or not it has also stopped internally, and if after her prayers
she understands that bleeding had totally stopped, and she has sufficient time
at her disposal to offer prayers again in the state of purity, it will be an
obligatory precaution for her to act according to the rules applicable to her
and pray again.
429. If the excessive Istihaza reduces to medium Istihaza, the
Mustahaza should perform the rules prescribed for excessive Istihaza for the
first prayers and then medium Istihaza for the later prayers. For example, if
excessive Istihaza becomes medium before Zuhr prayers she should perform Wudhu
and do Ghusl for Zuhr prayers; and for the Asr, Maghrib and Isha prayers she
should perform only Wudhu.
However, if she does not do Ghusl for Zuhr
prayers and has time for Asr prayers only she should do Ghusl for Asr prayers.
And if she does not do Ghusl for even Asr prayers she should do Ghusl for
Maghrib prayers. And if she does not do Ghusl for that prayers as well and has
just enough time for Isha prayers only, she should do Ghusl for Isha prayers.
430. If the excessive Istihaza stops before every Namaz and starts
coming again she should do Ghusl before each Namaz.
431. If the excessive Istihaza reduces to little, the mustahaza should
follow for the first prayers the rules prescribed for excessive Istihaza; and
for the later prayers the rules prescribed for little Istihaza. Similarly, if
the medium Istihaza becomes little she should follow rules prescribed for medium
Istihaza for the first prayers and those prescribed for little Istihaza for
the later prayers.
432. If a mustahaza woman neglects any one of the obligatory rules,
her Namaz will be void.
433. If a woman who is in little or medium Istihaza wishes to engage
in an act which requires Wudhu as a prerequisite, like touching the script of
the Quran etc., she should make the Wudhu for the purpose. The Wudhu made
specifically for Namaz would not be sufficient if she wishes to touch after
the Namaz is over.
434. A mustahaza who has done her obligatory Ghusls can go into
Masjid, pause for some time in it, and recite the verses of the Qur'an which
contain obligatory Sajdah. It is also lawful for her husband to have sexual
intercourse with her, though she may not have performed all the acts which are
required before the prayers (e.g. changing the cotton and the pad). And it is
not unlikely that these acts may be permissible even without Ghusl, but
precaution is in avoiding them.
435. If a woman who is in the state of excessive or medium Istihaza
wishes to recite, before the time of prayers, a verse of the Qur'an which
contains an obligatory Sajdah or to enter a Masjid, she should, on the basis
of recommended precaution, do Ghusl. And the same rule applies if her husband
wishes to have sexual intercourse with her.
436. Salatul Ayat (due to solar or lunar eclipse etc.) is obligatory
for a mustahaza woman and she should follow all the rules which have been
explained in relation with the daily prayers.
437. When Namaz-e-Ayat becomes obligatory for a mustahaza woman at the
time of daily prayers and she wishes to offer these two prayers one after the
other she cannot, as per obligatory precaution, offer both of them with one
Wudhu and one Ghusl.
438. If a mustahaza woman wishes to offer Qadha prayers she should
follow the same rules as are applicable to the prayers offered within time.
And as a precaution, she will not consider the acts performed for prayers
within time as sufficient for Qadha prayers.
439. If a woman knows that the blood coming out of her body is not of
a wound and cannot decide on it being the blood of hayz or nifas because of
the absence of the properties defined by the Shariah, she should act according
to the rules in respect of Istihaza. And if she doubts whether it is Istihaza
or some other blood and it does not possess other signs she should, on the basis
of obligatory precaution, follow the rules of Istihaza.