Menstrual Periods

Ali ibn Abdullah narrated to us, saying: Sufyan narrated to us, saying: I heard Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Qasim, who said: I heard al-Qasim say: I heard Aishah say: We set out intending nothing but Hajj. When we reached Sarif, I began menstruating. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came in to me while I was crying and said: “What is the matter? Have you begun menstruating?” I said: “Yes.” He said: “This is something Allah has ordained for the daughters of Adam. Do all that a pilgrim does, except do not circumambulate the House.” Aishah said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sacrificed cows on behalf of his wives.

Abdullah ibn Yusuf narrated to us, saying: Malik informed us, from Hisham ibn Urwah, from his father, from Aishah, who said: “I used to comb the head of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while I was menstruating.”

Ibrahim ibn Musa narrated to us, saying: Hisham ibn Yusuf informed us that Ibn Jurayj informed them, saying: Hisham informed me, from Urwah, who was asked: “Does a menstruating woman serve me, or may a woman who is in a state of major ritual impurity come near me?” Urwah said: “All of that is easy for me; they serve me, and there is no harm in it.” Aishah informed me that she used to comb the head of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while she was menstruating. At that time, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was in retreat in the mosque and would bring his head close to her while she was in her room, and she would comb it while menstruating.

Abu Nuaym al-Fadl ibn Dukayn heard Zuhayr narrate, from Mansur ibn Safiyyah, that his mother told him that Aishah told her: The Prophet (ﷺ) used to recline in my lap while I was menstruating, then recite the Quran.

al-Makki ibn Ibrahim narrated to us, saying: Hisham narrated to us, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from Abu Salamah, that Zaynab bint Umm Salamah told him that Umm Salamah told her: While I was lying with the Prophet (ﷺ) under a woolen wrap, I began menstruating. I slipped away and took the clothes I used during menstruation. He said: “Have you begun menstruating?” I said: “Yes.” He called me, and I lay down with him under the wrap.

Qabisah narrated to us, saying: Sufyan narrated to us, from Mansur, from Ibrahim, from al-Aswad, from Aishah, who said: The Prophet (ﷺ) and I used to bathe from one vessel while both of us were in a state of major ritual impurity. When I was menstruating, he would tell me to wrap myself in a waist-wrapper, then be intimate with me. While he was in retreat, he would bring his head out to me and I would wash it while menstruating.

Ismail ibn Khalil narrated to us, saying: Ali ibn Mushir informed us, saying: Abu Ishaq—meaning al-Shaybani—informed us, from Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Aswad, from his father, from Aishah, who said: When one of us was menstruating and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) wanted to be intimate with her, he would order her to wrap herself in a waist-wrapper during the height of her menstruation, then be intimate with her. She said: “Who among you can control his desire as the Prophet (ﷺ) controlled his?” Khalid and Jarir corroborated it from al-Shaybani.

Abu al-Numan narrated to us, saying: Abd al-Wahid narrated to us, saying: al-Shaybani narrated to us, saying: Abdullah ibn Shaddad narrated to us, saying: I heard Maymunah say: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) wanted to be intimate with one of his wives, he would tell her to wrap herself in a waist-wrapper while menstruating. Sufyan also narrated it from al-Shaybani.

Said ibn Abi Maryam narrated to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Jafar informed us, saying: Zayd—meaning Ibn Aslam—informed me, from Iyad ibn Abdullah, from Abu Said al-Khudri, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went out to the prayer place on Eid al-Adha—or Eid al-Fitr—and passed by the women. He said: “Women, give charity, for I have been shown that you will form the majority of the people of the Fire.” They asked: “Why is that, Messenger of Allah?” He said: “You frequently curse and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more able than you, despite being deficient in reason and religion, to overcome the judgment of a sensible man.” They asked: “What is our deficiency in religion and reason, Messenger of Allah?” He said: “Is not the testimony of a woman equal to half the testimony of a man?” They said: “Yes.” He said: “That is the deficiency in her reason. Does she not stop praying and fasting when she menstruates?” They said: “Yes.” He said: “That is the deficiency in her religion.”

Abu Nuaym narrated to us, saying: Abd al-Aziz ibn Abi Salamah narrated to us, from Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Qasim, from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad, from Aishah, who said: We went out with the Prophet (ﷺ), speaking of nothing but Hajj. When we arrived at Sarif, I began menstruating. The Prophet (ﷺ) came in to me while I was crying and asked: “What is making you cry?” I said: “By Allah, I wish I had not performed Hajj this year.” He said: “Perhaps you have begun menstruating?” I said: “Yes.” He said: “That is something Allah has ordained for the daughters of Adam. Do what a pilgrim does, except do not circumambulate the House until you become pure.”

Abdullah ibn Yusuf narrated to us, saying: Malik informed us, from Hisham ibn Urwah, from his father, from Aishah, that Fatimah bint Abi Hubaysh said to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): “Messenger of Allah, I do not become pure. Should I stop praying?” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “That is only a vein, not menstruation. When your menstrual period begins, stop praying. When its usual duration has passed, wash the blood from yourself and pray.”

Abdullah ibn Yusuf narrated to us, saying: Malik informed us, from Hisham, from Fatimah bint al-Mundhir, from Asma bint Abi Bakr, who said: A woman asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): “If menstrual blood gets on one of our garments, what should she do?” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “When menstrual blood gets on one of your garments, rub it, sprinkle it with water, then pray in it.”

Asbagh narrated to us, saying: Ibn Wahb informed me, saying: Amr ibn al-Harith informed me, from Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Qasim, who told him, from his father, from Aishah, who said: “When one of us menstruated and then became pure, she would rub the blood from her garment and wash it, sprinkle water over the rest of the garment, then pray in it.”

Ishaq narrated to us: Khalid ibn Abd Allah narrated to us, from Khalid, from Ikrimah, from Aishah, that the Prophet performed i‘tikaf with one of his wives while she was experiencing prolonged bleeding. She would see blood, and sometimes she placed a basin beneath her to catch it. He also related that Aishah saw safflower-colored water and said, ‘It seems this is something that so-and-so used to experience.’

Qutaybah narrated to us: Yazid ibn Zuray‘ narrated to us, from Khalid, from Ikrimah, from Aishah, who said: One of the wives of the Messenger of Allah performed i‘tikaf with him. She would see blood and yellow discharge, and a basin was beneath her while she prayed.

Musaddad narrated to us: Mu‘tamir narrated to us, from Khalid, from Ikrimah, from Aishah, that one of the Mothers of the Believers performed i‘tikaf while experiencing prolonged bleeding.

Abu Nuaym narrated to us: Ibrahim ibn Nafi‘ narrated to us, from Ibn Abi Najih, from Mujahid, who said: Aishah said, ‘Each of us had only one garment in which she menstruated. If some blood got on it, she would moisten it with her saliva and scrape it off with her fingernail.’

Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Wahhab narrated to us: Hammad ibn Zayd narrated to us, from Ayyub, from Hafsah—or, Abu Abd Allah said, from Hisham ibn Hassan, from Hafsah—from Umm Atiyyah, who said: We were forbidden to mourn a deceased person for more than three days, except a husband, for whom the period is four months and ten days. We were also forbidden to wear kohl, apply perfume, or wear dyed clothing, except a garment dyed with ‘asb. At the time of purification, when one of us had bathed after menstruation, she was permitted a small amount of kust and azfar. We were forbidden to follow funeral processions. He said: Hisham ibn Hassan narrated it from Hafsah, from Umm Atiyyah, from the Prophet.