The mustahada: the woman with continuous bleeding

The mustahada is the woman affected by bleeding outside her periods: the blood does not stop according to the usual cycle. This bleeding does not exclude her from the prayer: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) organized her religious life like that of any pure woman, with precaution rules.

The hadiths on the duration of periods

The hadiths fixing "at minimum three days, at maximum ten" for the periods are judged weak by the masters of hadith; an-Nawawi states that they are all weak by the agreement of the specialists. The schools therefore rest on other bases: the duration known to each woman, then the assessment of each school's scholars for extreme cases.

The method given to Hamna

Hamna complained to the Prophet of abundant blood; he answered her to protect herself with a piece of cloth, for it stops the blood (reported by Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi). Umm Salama received the similar instruction to bind herself with a suitable garment. If the blood exceeds the protection because of the weakness of the binding, she tightens; if the blood still comes out, her prayer remains valid: 'Aisha reports that a woman was in spiritual retreat with the Prophet and saw the blood and the yellow under her while she prayed (al-Bukhari 304).

Her purification between the prayers

The mustahada renews her ablution at each prayer time, protects the area, and prays: continuous bleeding is not treated like the periods. She prays even if the blood stains her garment, for the cause exceeds her ability.

Practical note

Medical follow-up of the bleeding remains useful, and the religious organization stays simple: one ablution per prayer time, adequate protection, and the prayer without fear. Allah does not demand the impossible from women tried by this bleeding.