Purification
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Menstruation (Ḥayḍ)

Rulings shown for Hanafi

The rulings of the monthly period — what pauses, what is made up later, and how a woman returns to purity.

Ḥayḍ is the natural monthly bleeding Allah decreed for women. It is not a fault or a punishment — the Prophet ﷺ told ʿĀʾisha it is “something Allah has written for the daughters of Ādam.” During it, certain acts of worship pause, out of ease, not deficiency.

What pauses during menstruation

  • • Ṣalāh — she does not pray, and does NOT make up the missed prayers.
  • • Fasting — she does not fast, and DOES make up the missed days later.
  • • Ṭawāf around the Kaʿba.
  • • Intercourse — until the bleeding stops and she performs ghusl.
  • • Touching the muṣḥaf; reciting Qurʾān (the schools differ — see Compare).
She keeps every other form of worship: dhikr, duʿāʾ, istighfār, ṣalawāt on the Prophet ﷺ, listening to Qurʾān, giving charity, and serving others. Ramaḍān nights, ʿArafah, and the last ten nights are still hers to fill with remembrance.

How long does it last?

Durations are a known point of difference; follow your school or a trusted teacher.

  • • Ḥanafī: minimum 3 days, maximum 10 days.
  • • Mālikī: no fixed minimum; maximum commonly 15 days (with detail for habit).
  • • Shāfiʿī: minimum 1 day and night, maximum 15 days.
  • • Ḥanbalī: minimum 1 day, maximum 15 days.

Returning to purity

  1. 1

    🩸The bleeding stops (a clear or white discharge marks the end).

  2. 2

    🚿Perform a complete ghusl with the intention of lifting the ḥayḍ.

  3. 3

    🕌Resume prayer at the next prayer time; make up any missed fasts later.

Istiḥāḍa (irregular/continual bleeding outside the normal period) is different: she is considered pure. She makes wudūʾ for each prayer, guards against the flow, and prays and fasts normally — as the Prophet ﷺ instructed the women who asked him.

Evidence

“They ask you about menstruation. Say: it is harm, so keep away from women during it, and do not approach them until they are pure…”

Qurʾān 2:222

The Prophet ﷺ affirmed that a menstruating woman does not pray or fast — and elsewhere she makes up the fasts, not the prayers.

Bukhārī 304 / 1951 ṣaḥīḥ

ʿĀʾisha: “We were commanded to make up the fasts and were not commanded to make up the prayers.”

Muslim 335 ṣaḥīḥ

Compare the schools

Tap a school to see its ruling first everywhere on this page.

Ḥayḍ

May a menstruating woman recite Qurʾān?

Hanafi: She does not recite Qurʾān, nor touch the muṣḥaf, until she purifies.

Other schools

Maliki: She may recite from memory (a concession, given how long the menses last) but does not touch the muṣḥaf without a barrier.

Shāfiʿī: She does not recite with the intention of recitation, nor touch the muṣḥaf; dhikr and duʿāʾ are fine.

Hanbali: She does not recite more than a portion of a verse; dhikr, tasbīḥ and duʿāʾ remain open to her.

The relevant reports vary in strength, so the schools differ. al-Mawsūʿa al-Fiqhiyya.

Classical references

Hanafi: al-Hidāya · Radd al-Muḥtār

Maliki: al-Mudawwana · Mukhtaṣar Khalīl

Shāfiʿī: Minhāj al-Ṭālibīn · al-Umm

Hanbali: al-Mughnī · Zād al-Mustaqniʿ

Learn more

Prayer at the edges: if the bleeding stops with enough time left in a prayer’s window to make ghusl and pray even one rakʿah, that prayer is due. If the period begins after a prayer’s time has entered and before she prayed it, the schools differ on making it up — follow your school. This is a sensitive, detailed area with real-life questions (spotting, colour, habit, contraception effects). Use this as an orientation, and take specific cases to a knowledgeable teacher.

Related lessons

🚿 Ghusl (Ritual Bath) →
🍼 Postnatal Bleeding (Nifās) →
🌙 Fasting (Ṣawm) →

Content is being reviewed for authenticity by a qualified scholar. Follow your local scholars for personal rulings.