Menstruation: Definition, Durations, Prohibitions, and End-of-Menses Rules

Read the bilingual lesson for Menstruation: Definition, Durations, Prohibitions, and End-of-Menses Rules and test your understanding with a focused quiz.

Lesson

1. Definition of Menstruation

فَالْحَيْضُ دَمٌ يَنْفِضُهُ رَحِمُ بَالِغَةٍ لَا دَاءَ بِهَا وَلَا حَبَلَ وَلَمْ تَبْلُغْ سِنَّ الْإِيَاسِ

Hayd is uterine blood of a mature female in the legally relevant state described by the text: not caused by disease, not during pregnancy, and before menopause. This definition separates Hayd from Istihadah.

2. Minimum, Average, and Maximum

وَأَقَلُّ الْحَيْضِ ثَلَاثَةُ أَيَّامٍ وَلَيَالِيهَا، وَأَوْسَطُهُ خَمْسَةٌ، وَأَكْثَرُهُ عَشَرَةٌ

• Minimum possible Hayd: 3 days and nights.
• Average stated by the text: 5 days.
• Maximum possible Hayd: 10 days.

Bleeding shorter than the minimum is Istihadah. Bleeding continuing beyond the maximum involves Istihadah; for a woman with an established habit, detailed allocation must take that habit into account rather than automatically calling the first 10 days Hayd in every case.

3. Purity between Two Menstruations

وَأَقَلُّ الطُّهْرِ الْفَاصِلِ بَيْنَ الْحَيْضَتَيْنِ خَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا، وَلَا حَدَّ لِأَكْثَرِهِ إِلَّا لِمَنْ بَلَغَتْ مُسْتَحَاضَةً

The minimum pure interval separating two distinct menstruations is 15 days. The matn gives no general maximum for Tuhr, while mentioning a special exception for a woman who reaches legal maturity while experiencing Istihadah; that advanced case is not expanded in this beginner level.

4. Eight Prohibited Matters during Hayd and Nifas: 1–6

وَيَحْرُمُ بِالْحَيْضِ وَالنِّفَاسِ ثَمَانِيَةُ أَشْيَاءَ: الصَّلَاةُ، وَالصَّوْمُ، وَقِرَاءَةُ آيَةٍ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ، وَمَسُّهَا إِلَّا بِغِلَافٍ، وَدُخُولُ مَسْجِدٍ، وَالطَّوَافُ

1. Prayer.
2. Fasting.
3. Reciting a verse of Quran.
4. Touching Quranic text except through a cover/barrier recognized by the fiqh rule.
5. Entering a mosque.
6. Tawaf.

Missed prayers are not made up; missed obligatory fasts are made up later.

5. Prohibited Matters 7–8: Marital Intimacy

وَالْجِمَاعُ، وَالِاسْتِمْتَاعُ بِمَا تَحْتَ السُّرَّةِ إِلَى تَحْتِ الرُّكْبَةِ

7. Intercourse.
8. Direct sexual enjoyment of the area from below the navel to below the knee under the rule stated by the text.

This lesson keeps the wording tied to the source and does not extend the prohibition to the entire body.

6. When Intercourse Becomes Lawful after Bleeding Stops

وَإِذَا انْقَطَعَ الدَّمُ لِأَكْثَرِ الْحَيْضِ وَالنِّفَاسِ حَلَّ الْوَطْءُ بِلَا غُسْلٍ، وَلَا يَحِلُّ إِنِ انْقَطَعَ لِدُونِهِ لِتَمَامِ عَادَتِهَا إِلَّا أَنْ تَغْتَسِلَ، أَوْ تَتَيَمَّمَ وَتُصَلِّيَ، أَوْ تَصِيرَ الصَّلَاةُ دَيْنًا فِي ذِمَّتِهَا

• If bleeding ends at the absolute maximum of Hayd (10 days) or Nifas (40 days), the matn says intercourse becomes legally permissible without waiting for Ghusl, although Ghusl is still required for prayer and the commentary recommends waiting for it.
• If bleeding ends before the maximum at the completion of her established habit, intercourse does not become lawful merely because the blood stopped. The matn gives the listed routes: Ghusl; valid Tayammum followed by prayer; or the relevant prayer becoming due in her liability after sufficient time and then the time ending.
• If bleeding stops before her established habit, the commentary adds that intercourse is not resumed until the habit period passes.

Practice questions

Question 1

What are the minimum and maximum durations of menstruation (Hayd) in the Hanafi school?

Minimum 1 day, Maximum 7 days
Minimum 3 days and nights (72 hours), Maximum 10 days and nights (240 hours)
Minimum 5 days, Maximum 15 days
There are no minimum or maximum limits

Question 2

A woman must make up the obligatory prayers she missed during menstruation after she becomes pure.

Question 3

What is the minimum interval of purity (Tuhr) required between two menstruations?

10 days
15 days
30 days
There is no minimum purity interval

Question 4

A menstruating woman is permitted to recite the Quran as long as she does not touch the physical pages of the book.

Question 5

What boundary of the female body is prohibited for a husband to enjoy skin-to-skin without a barrier during her menstruation?

The area between the chest and the feet
The area between the navel and the knee
The head and neck only
The entire body is completely prohibited from any touch

Question 6

Which duration is clearly within the possible legal range of Hayd, assuming the woman is mature, non-pregnant and the other conditions are met?

2 days.
6 days.
12 days as automatically all Hayd.
14 days as automatically all Hayd.

Question 7

After menstruation, which missed obligation must be made up?

The missed Fard prayers.
The missed Ramadan fasts.
Every missed Sunnah prayer.
No missed obligation at all.

Question 8

If menstrual bleeding stops exactly at the 10-day maximum, intercourse still remains unlawful until Ghusl is performed.

Question 9

If bleeding stops before the 10-day maximum exactly at the completion of a woman's established habit, what does the matn require before intercourse becomes lawful?

Nothing; stopping alone is always enough.
One of the stated routes: Ghusl, or valid Tayammum followed by prayer, or the stated prayer-time consequence.
Only drinking water.
Waiting exactly 15 days in every case.

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