Irregular Blood Discharge (istihadhah)

One of the types of blood that women discharge is the blood of istiḥāḍah. A woman at the time of experiencing istiḥāḍah is called a ‘mustaḥāḍah’.

Ruling 390. Most of the time, the blood of istiḥāḍah is yellow in colour, cold, comes out without pressure or a burning sensation, and is not thick. However, it is possible, sometimes, for it to be black or red, warm, thick, and to come out with pressure and a burning sensation.

Ruling 391. There are three types of istiḥāḍah: slight (qalīlah), medium (mutawassiṭah), and excessive (kathīrah).

Slight istiḥāḍah is when the blood only stains a piece of cotton [or the top layer of a sanitary pad/another absorbent item] and does not seep into it.

Medium istiḥāḍah is when the blood seeps into a piece of cotton [or top layer of a sanitary pad/another absorbent item] that a woman would normally use to absorb the discharge of blood – albeit into only one side of it – but it does not reach the bottom of it.

Excessive istiḥāḍah is when the blood soaks a piece of cotton [or sanitary pad/another absorbent item] and reaches the bottom of it.