A Treatise on Women’s Natural Types of Bleeding
All praise is due to Allah, we praise Him, seek His help and forgiveness, and repent to Him. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our selves and from our bad deeds. Whoever Allah guides, none can lead astray, and whoever He leads astray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his family, his Companions, and those who follow them with righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
Menstrual bleeding, Istihādah (vaginal bleeding outside menstruation), and post-partum bleeding are three types of bleeding that a woman experiences. It is highly important to explain these types, know the Shariah rulings related to each one of them, and distinguish between the correct relevant scholarly views and the wrong ones, depending basically in this process on the Qur’an and Sunnah, given the following facts:
1- The Qur’an and Sunnah are the two main sources upon which the rulings, set by Allah Almighty for His servants to worship Him, are founded.
2- Relying upon these two sources fosters a feeling of comfort, reassurance, and peacefulness and clears one’s liability.
3- Any other source, whatsoever, needs to be proven, yet cannot stand by itself as a decisive proof.
This is so because only the words of Allah Almighty and His Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) can be taken as a decisive proof. The same can be said about the opinions of those who are knowledgeable from among the Companions, according to the preponderant scholarly view, provided that there is nothing in the Qur’an or Sunnah that disagrees with such statements. A Companion’s opinion should not also contradict the opinion of another Companion. Thus, the Qur’an and Sunnah are to be primarily followed if they are in conflict with any of such opinions. Similarly, if the opinions of two Companions are in conflict, then it should be sought which of them is preponderant, and the preponderant opinion should be applied. In confirmation of that, Allah Almightys says: {“...And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.} [Al-Nisā’: 59]
This is a brief treatise on these types of bleeding, along with the religious rulings pertaining to them. It consists of the following chapters:
In Shariah terminology, it refers to the natural bleeding that a female experiences without a given reason at known times. It is a natural flow of blood that is not caused by illness, wound, falling down, or giving birth. Being natural bleeding, it differs clearly according to the female’s condition, her environment, and the weather she lives in.
The wisdom behind its occurrence is based on the fact that the embryo in his mother’s womb is unable to receive nourishment in the normal way as those who are already born. Even those who are most merciful to him cannot deliver nourishment to it inside the womb. Therefore, Allah Almighty created in the female blood secretions that the embryo can feed on inside the womb without need to eating or digestion. These secretions can access the embryo’s body through the navel, then they run immediately into its veins and serve as a nutrition for it. Blessed is Allah, the Best of Creators!