#383: Ruling on the Blood that spills during Pregnancy
QUESTION
“Assalaamu alaykum warahmatullah wabarakatuh.
what’s the position of d solat of a Muslim woman seeing irregular blood stain while pregnant, is she to stop or continue?”
ANSWER
Wa alaykum salaam warahmatullaah wabarakaatuh.
Alhamdulillaah!
The blood that comes from a pregnant woman can be one of three:
The blood of menstruation (hayd). This is the Shaafi’i and Maaliki position, a narration from Imaam Ahmad, and the verdict of most of the Muhaqiqqun such as Shaykhu Al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah and many others, and it is the one favoured by Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Saalih Al-Uthaymin – rahimahullaah . They hold that it is possible for a pregnant woman to menstruate. The dominant Hanbali and Hanafi position is that it is not possible and that any blood that comes from the pregnant woman is not to be regarded as menstruation.
The Shaafi’i and Maaliki position is the stronger position and the blood is so referred if only it bears similarity with the characteristics of the menstrual blood in its colours, its smell and its thickness. It is established that menstrual blood does not coagulate.
This difference within the Fuqahaa bears little weight beside the nature of women. What this means is that the judging factor here is the blood itself.
The blood from a pregnant woman can also be the blood of Nifaas (post natal). This is if the blood flows two or three days before birth. The assumption is that such a blood is caused by labour or its antecedent.
Shaykhu Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah – rahimahullaah – said:
“As for the blood that she sees a two or three days before delivery, then it is Nifaas because it is a blood that comes forth due to labour. It is therefore regarded as Nifaas like the blood that comes forth after it (delivery). And that is because the pregnant woman rarely sees blood. So if she sees it just before delivery, what is apparent is that it is caused by the child, especially if labour has taken over her.”
Sharhu Al-‘Umdah 1/515
The blood could also be ordinary blood and that is if it doesn’t bear the characteristics of menstruation and is not just before delivery.
Therefore, with regards to your question, if the blood to which you refer bears the characteristics of menstrual blood, you have to refrain from the Salaat and the other things that the menstruating woman refrains from. The same thing applies if it falls under the Nifaas like we have explained above.
However if it is an ordinary blood then you should wash up before every salaat.
Allāhu A’alam
Bārakallāhu Fīkum
Jazākumullāhu Khayran.
📚 IslamNode
