Menstruation Period
Menstruation is a natural type of blood that flows at regular intervals from a womans uterus after puberty. God has laid down certain rules in connection with this, as a concession to the woman, in consideration of her condition.
Menstruation usually lasts 3 to 10 days and nights, varying from woman to woman. Most women have a regular number of days for their monthly menstrual period. The number of days may fluctuate and the period might come a little early or a little late. So when a woman sees menstrual blood, she should consider herself to be menstruating. When it stops, she should consider herself clean. If more blood appears after her menstrual period has ended, but does not have the same color as menstrual blood, it should not be considered as menstruation
Post-childbirth bleeding
Post-childbirth bleeding is the blood that comes during and after childbirth. It may begin to come 2 or 3 days before delivery and be accompanied by labor pains. There is no minimum limit as to how long a woman will bleed, but generally the upper limit is within 40 days.
Women are prohibited from performing certain acts while they are in this condition, such as follows:
She cannot pray (salat) after she begins to bleed and does not have to make up any missed prayers.
She cannot observe any obligatory (Ramadan) or supererogatory fasts. She must make up the obligatory fasting days after regaining her ritual cleanliness. If bleeding begins during a supererogatory fasting day upon which she had intended to fast, she must make it up.
She can do all pilgrimage rites except circumambulating the Kaba (tawaf).
She should avoid mosques or places of worship, and cannot touch the Quran, whether the original or in translation. She cannot recite it from memory, but can read the verses of prayer and supplication with the intention of praying. (She cannot perform salat but can supplicate and recite the prayers mentioned in the Quran with the intention of saying prayers or making supplications.)
A man cannot have sexual intercourse with his wife while she has post-childbirth bleeding, for she is not allowed to make herself available to him. However, he can kiss, hug, or touch her anywhere besides the pubic region. It is better and highly advisable to avoid the area between the navel and the knees.
When a menstruating woman stops bleeding, she must perform a complete ghusl (major ablution). After this, she must resume praying and fasting, can enter the mosque, make tawaf, recite the Quran, and engage in allowable sexual intercourse. She must make up the fasting days that she missed during Ramadan, but not the prayers. The same rules apply to women in post-childbirth bleeding.
Istihadha (Non-menstrual Vaginal Bleeding)
In some women, bleeding never stops; in others, it continues for longer than normal. This blood is called istihadha. Likewise, any blood coming before puberty and after menopause is also considered istihadha.
A woman with this condition should calculate when her period would normally end, and then stop praying during the days of her calculated period and follow all of the other menstruation-related rules. For the rest of the days, her bleeding should be treated as istihadha. If she does not have a regular period or does not remember when it used to occur, but can distinguish between the two kinds of blood based on color, thickness, and smell (i.e., menstrual blood is dark, thick, and has a strong odor, while istihadha is bright red, thin, and less disagreeable in smell), she must act accordingly. If she does not have a regular period and cannot distinguish between the two types of blood, she must consider the blood coming for 3 to 10 days every month as menstruation and calculate it from the time she first noticed her vaginal bleeding.
There is no difference between a woman beset by istihadha and one who has a complete cessation of menstrual flow, except as follows:
If the first woman wants to perform wudu (ritual ablution), she should wash the blood from her vaginal area and then apply a menstrual pad or wrap the area with a clean rag on top of a wad of cotton to catch the blood. Any blood coming out after that is of no account.
She must perform wudu for every obligatory prayer.
FAQ in the category of Tahara (cleanliness)
The wisdoms behind wudu
Wudu (ablution) includes material and spiritual cleaning together and enables material cleanliness; it is an indispensable step of worshipping that gives a Muslim peace in heart and spiritual power. A Muslim prepares himself for worshipping spiritually and bodily when he makes wudu.
Wudu is important in terms of health because it cleans the organs that are exposed to dirtiness and that are always in contact with things outside like hands, face, mouth, teeth, nose, head and feet. The ways through which microbes could penetrate the body are cleaned at least five times a day thanks to wudu; thus, many diseases are prevented; the nervous system and the circulatory system of the body become more regular.
Wudu soothes fury, eliminates anger and calms the spirit. Therefore, the Prophet (pbuh) advised a person who got furious to make wudu. (Abu Dawud, Adab, 3; Musnad, 4/226) Wudu is a spiritual weapon of a believer and a spiritual shield against invisible dangers.
A Muslim who makes wudu is purified and cleaned from both material and spiritual impurities. His sins are washed away as he washes an organ; it is stated that each organ of wudu will shine brightly on the Day of Resurrection. .
Some hadiths that are related to the virtues of making wudu:
1. The Prophet (pbuh) stated the following:
“When a Muslim who makes wudu rinses his mouth and nose, the sins committed by his mouth and nose are washed away. When he washes his face, his sins are washed away from his face and even between his two eyelids. When he wipes his head, his sins are washed away from his head and even from his ears. When he washes his feet, the sins committed by his feet are washed away from his feet and even between his nails. Thus, that person is purified from his sins and faults.” (Ibn Majah, Taharah, 6; Muslim, Taharah, 32; Nasai, Taharah, 108)
2. Abu Hurayra (ra) narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said,
“Listen to me carefully! Shall I inform you about the deeds through which Allah eliminates mistakes and elevates your ranks? To make wudu fully and properly despite its difficulties, to go to mosque from a distant place and to wait for the next prayer after a prayer.” (Nasai, Taharah, 107)
3. Umar bin Khattab (ra) narrates: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,
“If a person makes wudu nicely without leaving any dry place on his wudu organs and says, ‘Ashhadu anla ilaha illallah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger)’, eight gates of Paradise are opened for him. He can enter Paradise through whichever gate he wishes.”(Nasai, Taharah, 109)
4 Abu Hurayra (ra) narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) was asked, “O Messenger of Allah ! How will you recognize your ummah coming after you?” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) answered:
“If a man has a horse with a white forehead and white patches on their legs, will he not recognize his horse among black horses?” The people who were present there said, “Yes, he will.” Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,
“My brothers who will come after me will appear with their foreheads and wudu organs shining on the Day of Judgment. I will wait for them next to the pond of Kawthar.” (Nasai, Taharah, 110)
5. Abu Hurayra (ra) narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said,
“My ummah will come with bright faces and bright hands and feet on account of the marks of wudu; so, he who can increase the luster of his forehead and that of his hands and legs should do so.”(Muslim, Taharah, 246)
We mentioned above the verse stating what organs Allah ordered us to wash during wudu. Accordingly, the fards of wudu are as follows:
To wash the face, the two hands and arms including elbows, to wipe the head and two wash the two feet including the heels. (Süleyman Kösmene)
The wisdoms behind wudu in terms of protection from sins
Our religion orders us to wash certain organs of the body (to make wudu) before standing in the presence of Allah. The divine aim here is not only cleaning these organs from visible dirt and dust but also from the spiritual and invisible impurities of the sins they have committed through the water of repentance and asking for pardon. Besides, there are deep wisdoms behind the order of washing these organs.
1. The first organ that is fard to wash is the face. For, there are organs like the mouth (tongue), nose and eyes that are used primarily to commit sins. Let us think about the mouth: It eats forbidden things. Cursing, backbiting, slandering, telling lies, divisive words, seductive words and shameless expressions are uttered by the mouth. It is seen that the source of the biggest bad deeds against both Allah and people is the mouth.
What about the eyes? Is it not the organ that catches the secret bad things and makes the other organs follow it? Is it not the organ that catches the smell of the evil and makes the whole body turn to that side and that has the responsibility and a big share of the sins committed by a person?
Therefore, we are ordered to wash the face first, which includes the organs that start and cause all kinds of sins and deeds prohibited by the religion. Thus, a person is virtually addressed as follows: as you fulfill most of the proper duties of these organs, you also need to wash away the dirt and dust accumulated on them, protect the health of your body, clean them, regret the bad deeds committed by them, repent and decide to commit them again and prevent them from committing similar sins so that you can be a real Muslim.
2. After the face, the arms are washed. For, when a person does a bad deed, the tongue speaks first; then, the eyes see it; after that, the arms catch or hold them and become the accomplice of the bad deed. Therefore, it is an appropriate deed to wash the hands, which take the second step to obey Satan after the tongue and the eyes, in order to purify it from the visible impurities through water and invisible impurities through begging Allah.
3. The third fard of wudu is to wipe the head. The fact that wudu wants to encourage a person to do spiritual cleaning along with material cleaning is seen the most clearly in the wiping of the head. For, according to the Islamic tradition, a person does not usually walk around with his head uncovered; it is generally covered. Even if it is uncovered, the thick hair protects the head from dirt and dust. Therefore, it is impossible for it to accumulate so much dirt that needs to be cleaned five times a day. Besides, it is something difficult to wash the head each time a person makes wudu; it does not fit the lofty aim of God Almighty, who always orders His slaves to do easy things.
However, in wudu, the head includes an organ that cannot be overlooked in spiritual cleaning: the brain, which is the center of the body and which starts to think as soon as it receives any news about sins, makes plans and distributes duties to commit the sin to other organs. A person is reminded of the spiritual impurities of the head, which does not have many material impurities; therefore, he is ordered only to wipe the head instead of washing it, to seek ways of eliminating them and to watch out. What a deep and lofty wisdom that contains so many meanings and astonishes the heads in the presence of these subtleties.
4. The last fard of wudu is to wash the feet. If the evil deed to be done is at a distance away, the organs that take the body there and enable it to commit it are the feet. Therefore, the share of the feet in the bad deed forms the last step but it is a big step. Thus, it is the last and most important duty to wash away the material impurities of the feet and to ask Allah for forgiveness after remembering all of the sins caused by them before standing in the presence of Allah, that is, before starting to perform a prayer. It is necessary to note that the organs mentioned above are the organs that could accumulate the most amount of material impurities during daily life and that our religion, which orders us to wash them, gives great importance to material cleaning by ordering us to wash them along with spiritual cleaning.
It can be said that to look for wisdoms and reasons behind the orders of our religion is like looking for water in the middle of the sea. It is indeed so. Every order, from the smallest to the biggest one, of our religion contains so meaningful wisdoms as to astonish every sane person whose heart has the slightest amount of light of belief and to make him shed tears.
Prophet Muhammad, upon him be Allah’s blessings and peace, advised Muslims to appear neat and tidy in private and in public. Once when returning home from battle he advised his army: “Soon you will meet your brothers, so tidy your saddles and clothes” (Abu Dawud, “Libas,” 25). On another occasion he said: “If I had not been afraid of overburdening my community, I would have ordered them to use a miswaq (to brush and clean their teeth) for every prayer” (Bukhari, “Iman,” 26).Islam requires physical and spiritual cleanliness. On the physical side, Islam requires Muslims to clean their bodies, clothes, houses, and community, and they are rewarded by Allah for doing so. While people generally consider cleanliness desirable, Islam insists upon it and makes it an indispensable fundamental of religious life. In fact, books on Islamic jurisprudence often contain a whole chapter on this very requirement.
Prophet Muhammad, upon him be Allah's blessings and peace, advised Muslims to appear neat and tidy in private and in public. Once when returning home from battle he advised his army: Soon you will meet your brothers, so tidy your saddles and clothes (Abu Dawud, Libas, 25). On another occasion he said: If I had not been afraid of overburdening my community, I would have ordered them to use a miswaq (to brush and clean their teeth) for every prayer (Bukhari, Iman, 26).
Moral hygiene also was emphasized, for the Prophet, upon him be Allah's blessings and peace, encouraged Muslims to make a special prayer upon seeing themselves in the mirror: Allah, You have endowed me with a good form; like-wise bless me with an immaculate character (Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 1:34, 6:155). He advised modest clothing, for men as well as for women, on the grounds that it helps one maintain purity of thought.
Being charitable is a way of purifying ones wealth. A Muslim who does not give charity (sadaqa) and pay the required annual zakat (the prescribed purifying alms), contaminates his or her wealth by hoarding that which rightfully belongs to others: Of their wealth take alms so that you may purify them (9:103).
All the laws and injunctions given by Allah and His Prophet, upon him be Allah's blessings and peace, are pure. Any law established by Divine guidance is just and pure.
The Purity of Water:
Pure water is used essentially in matters of purification or wudu (minor ablution) and ghusl (major ablution). Hence, the necessity to investigate waters purity, water has four essential attributes: smell, color, taste, and fluidity. Any pure and purifying water is judged according to whether it retains these attributes or not. As a result, water is classified into two categories: mutlaq and muqayyad water.
Mutlaq water is natural water, such as that which comes from rain water, snow, hail, sea water, and water from the Zamzam well.
It is subdivided as follows:
Water that is both pure and purifying (e.g., rain water, snow, hail, sea water, and water from the Zamzam well).
Water that drips from a person after he or she has performed the minor or major ablution, and therefore is considered used. It is considered pure, but cannot be used for another minor and major ablution.
Water that is both pure and purifying, but whose usage is disliked (makruh) (e.g., water left in a container after a cat, bird, or another allowed animal has drunk from it).
Water mixed with impure elements. Water whose taste, color, or smell has been altered by an impure substance cannot be used for purification. However, if the liquid is still considered water, meaning that the impure substance has not altered its taste, color, or smell, it can be used for purification.
Water that is pure but may or may not be purifying. One example of this type of water is the water that remains in a pot after a donkey or a mule has drunk from it.
Muqayyad water includes naturally muqayyad water, such as fruit juices and water that has been mixed with various substances (e.g., soap, saffron, flowers) or objects that the Sharia considers pure. Such water is considered pure until, due to being mixed with other substances, one can no longer call it water. In this case, the water is still considered pure, but it cannot be used for purification (minor and major ablution).
Types of Impurities:
Najasa refers to impure substances that Muslims must avoid and wash off after coming into contact with them. Allah says: Purify your raiment (74:4) and: Allah loves those who repent and who purify themselves (2:222).
Animals that died naturally (e.g., not killed in the Islamic manner) are impure, as is anything cut off a live animal. However, dead sea animals and those that have no flowing blood (e.g., bees and ants) are not impure. The bones, horns, claws, fur, feathers, and skin of dead animals, except for pigs, are pure.
Any blood that flows from a persons or an animals body (e.g., blood from a killed animal or menstrual blood) is impure. However, blood that remains in the veins is permissible. Also, any blood that remains in edible meat, livers, hearts, and spleens is not impure, provided that the animal was sacrificed in the Islamic way.
A persons vomit, urine, excrement, wadi (a thick white secretion discharged after urination), mazi (a white sticky fluid that flows from the sexual organs when thinking about sexual intercourse, foreplay, and so on), prostatic fluid, and sperm is impure. However, according to some, sperm is not impure but should be washed off if it is still wet, and scratched off if it is dry. Any part of human flesh is impure.
The urine, saliva, and blood of all animals whose meat is prohibited, and the excrement of all animals except birds whose meat is allowable, are impure.
The excrement of poultry (i.e., geese, hens and ducks) is impure.
Pig and alcohol are impure.
Dogs are considered impure. Any container that a dog has licked must be completely washed and sterilized. If a dog licks a pot that has dry food in it, what it touched and what surrounds it must be thrown away. The remainder may be kept, as it is still pure. A dogs hair is considered pure.
The impurities mentioned are considered gross impurity (najasat al-ghaliza). Any amount of them contaminates whatever it touches. However, if it is on persons body or clothes when he or she is praying or on the ground or mat where he or she is praying, its amount is taken into consideration. Any solid filth weighing more than 3 grams, and any liquid more than the amount that spreads over a persons palm, invalidates the prayer.
The urine of horses and domestic or wild animals whose meat is allowed to eat is weak impurity (najasat al-khafifa). When more than one-fourth of a limb or one-fourth of ones clothes is smeared with it, the prayer is in-validated.
The Ways of Purification:
Purifying the body and clothes; If these are contaminated, they must be washed with water until no impurity remains. This is especially so if the impurity is visible, such as blood. If some stains remain after washing, such as those that would be extremely difficult to remove, they can be overlooked. If the impurity is not visible, such as urine, wash and wring whatever it has contaminated three times.
Purifying the ground; Purify the ground by pouring water over it. If the impurity is solid, the ground will become pure only by its removal or decay.
Purifying contaminated butter and similar substances; If a dead animal has fallen into a solid matter but has not swollen or disintegrated, whatever the corpse touches and what is around it must be thrown away, provided that one can make sure that it did not touch the rest of the matter. If it fell into a liquid substance, the majority say that the entire liquid becomes impure.
Purifying a dead animals skin; Tanning purifies a dead animals skin and fur. The Prophet said: If the animals skin is tanned, it is purified (Muslim, Hayz, 105).
Purifying mirrors and similar objects; Mirrors, knives, swords, nails, bones, glass, painted pots, and other smooth surfaces that have no pores are purified by removing the impurity.
Useful Points
If an unknown liquid falls on a person, there is no need to ask about it or to wash ones clothes.
If a person finds something moist on his or her body or clothes at night and does not know what it is, he or she does not need to smell it in order to identify it.
Clothes that have street mud on them do not have to be washed.
If a person finishes praying and sees some previously unseen impurity on his or her clothes or body, or was aware of but forgot about them, his or her prayer does not have to be repeated.
If a person cannot determine what part of his or her clothes contains the impurity, the whole garment should be washed, for if an obligation can be fulfilled only by performing another related act, that act also becomes obligatory.
If a person mixes pure clothes with impure clothes (and cannot tell them apart), he or she should investigate the matter and pray once in one of the clothes.
It is not proper to carry something that has Allah's Name upon it while going to the bathroom, unless he or she is afraid of losing it or having it stolen.
One should not talk in the bathroom, respond to a greeting, or repeat what the muezzin is saying. One may speak if there is some necessity. In the event of sneezing, one should praise Allah silently by moving his or her lips.
One should neither face nor turn his or her back on the qibla while answering a call of nature, especially if in an open area.
One should seek a soft and low piece of ground to protect against any impurity. The Prophet said: When one of you urinates, he should choose the proper place to do so.
One should avoid shaded places and places where people walk and gather.
One should not answer a call of nature in bathing places or in still or running water.
One should not urinate while standing, though some allow it.
One must remove any impurities from ones clothes and body after relieving oneself.
One should not clean himself or herself with the right hand.
One should remove any bad smell from ones hands after answering a call of nature.
One should enter the bathroom with the left foot, saying: I seek refuge in Allah from noxious male and female beings (devils), and exit with ones right foot, saying: O Allah, I seek your forgiveness.
After a man has relieved himself, he should wait until the urine stops completely and make sure that none of it has fallen onto his clothes. This is called istibra (seeking full purification). Ibn Abbas related that the Messenger of Allah, upon him be Allah's blessings and peace, passed by two graves and said: They are being punished, but not for a great matter (on their part). One of them did not clean himself from urine, and the other used to spread slander. (Tirmidhi, Tahara, 53) To erase all doubt, the person should sprinkle his penis and underwear with water.
Acts That Correspond to Human Nature
Allah has chosen certain acts for all of His Prophets and their followers to perform. These acts, are known as sunan al-fitra (acts required by human nature), are as follows:
Circumcision. This prevents dirt from getting on ones penis and also makes it easy to keep clean. The Shafii scholars maintain that it should be done on the seventh day, although it is permissible to do it later.
Shaving pubic hairs and pulling out underarm hairs. Doing so is sunna. However, it is enough to trim or pull it out.
Clipping fingernails, trimming and shaving the moustache, and keeping the beard tidy. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be Allah's blessings and peace, said, Five things are part of ones fitra: Shaving the pubic hair, circumcision, trimming the moustache, removing any underarm hair, and trimming the nails. (Muslim, Tahara, 49) A moustache should not be so long that food particles, drink, and dirt accumulate in it. If one grows a beard, it should not be untidy.
Honoring and combing ones hair. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said: Whoever has hair should honor it (Abu Dawud, Tarajjul, 3:4163). Cutting ones hair off is permissible, and so is letting it grow if one honors it.
Leaving gray hairs in place. This applies to both men and women. Amr ibn Shuayb related, on the authority of his father from his grandfather, that the Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, said: Do not pluck the gray hairs, as they are a Muslims light. A Muslim never grows gray in Islam except that Allah writes for him, due to that, a good deed, raises him a degree, and erases for him, due to that, one of his sins (Ibn Hanbal, 2:179; Tirmidhi, Adab, 56).
Dyeing ones gray hair. According to the accepted opinion, dyeing ones gray hair by using henna, red dye, yellow dye, and so on is permissible, provided that the dyes are religiously allowable.
Using perfume. Using musk and other perfumes that are free of alcohol and similar forbidden things is highly advisable, for they are pleasing to the soul and beautify the atmosphere.
The water is taken with the right hand palm, the mouth is washed properly and it is thrown out three times. Again the water is taken with the right hand palm and it is thrown into the nostrils three times. Then it is blown using the left hand.
Then the face is washed from the forehead to the bottom of the chin with both hands.
Then the right arm is washed including the elbow. The left one is also washed including the elbow three times.
The upper part of the head is rubbed, that quarter of the head is rubbed with the wetted right hand.
The inner sides of the ears with the fore fingers, and back sides with the thumbs are rubbed using the both wetted hands.
Then the neck is nibbed with the back side of the wet fingers.
Lastly, beginning from the toes, first the right foot, then the left one is washed including the ankles three times. The toes of the both feet are washed properly.
Wiping over Clean, Indoor Boots (Khuffayn)
While performing wudu, one can wipe over (the top of) their clean, indoor boots once with wet hands instead of washing the feet.
Boots should be waterproof and cover the whole foot up to (and including) the ankles. They must have no holes wider than three fingers in width. It does not matter if their mouths are so wide that the feet can be seen when looking down at them.
They must be fit, strong, and tough enough so that the feet would not come out of them, and they should not fall down when walked in for 3 miles.
They cannot be made out of wood, glass, or metal.
One must put on the boots after washing ones feet while performing ablution. One can wear it for a whole day if one is resident. If traveling, one can wear it for 3 consecutive days.
What does Islam say about "Dental Health"?
