Home
Discover Islam
Quran Recitations
Lectures
Fatwa
Articles
Fiqh
E-Books
Women
Boys & Girls 
Enter Question
View By Subject
Fatwa Of The Week
Selected Fatwa
Fatwa CenterExperiencing Brownish Discharge and its Ruling According to the Maliki School of Thought
Question
Assalamualaikum, i follow the maliki school of thought.This month my period was distorted due to stress and sickness, i bled for 9 days had a 5 days break and then experienced light brown discharge on day 15 and 16 of my cycle, i expect my heavy period in about 10 days, since i have passed the 15 callendar days cut off of my initial cycle i know this istihadah could u please tell if this brown just need whudu per prayer and should i stop praying immediately my period arive in 10 day.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
The questioner did not mention to us her previous habitual duration of menstruation. The Maliki school holds that a woman with an established habit — that is, one who has menstruated before — if she menstruates and the flow of blood continues beyond what she was previously accustomed to, she must count as menstruation a period equal to the longer of her habitual duration. If the blood does not stop, she waits an additional three days (istizhar), meaning she considers herself menstruating for three days beyond her habit, so long as this does not exceed fifteen days total. If the blood still does not stop, she performs ghusl and prays, and she disregards whatever blood or brownish discharge (kudrah) appears after that, since it is considered the blood of an affliction or disorder, not menstrual blood.
Khalil said: “...and for the woman with an established habit, is three days of istizhar beyond the longer of her habitual duration, provided she does not exceed it; then she is pure.” [End of quote]
Turbidity/Brownish discharge (kudrah) is considered menstrual blood according to the Malikis if it occurs during a time when menstruation is possible, such as during the habitual period or the days of istizhar. The preferred view according to us is that it is not counted as such after purity has occurred, based on what is reported in Sunan Abi Dawud and elsewhere from Umm 'Atiyyah, who said: “We did not count turbidity or yellowish discharge after purity as anything [i.e., as menstruation].” [End of quote]
According to the view that turbidity is menstrual blood, as is the Maliki position, if the turbidity occurs during the habitual period, she is counted as menstruating, so long as the total duration of the blood and turbidity does not exceed the habitual period plus the days of istizhar, and does not exceed fifteen days, which is the maximum duration of menstruation.
You should further know that the days of purity that occur between periods of bleeding within the cycle are not counted, nor do they count toward completing the fifteen days; rather, only the days of actual bleeding are joined together, as Khalil said: “And if it is interrupted, only the days of blood are joined together.” [End of quote]
As for your next cycle, which you expect to come in about ten days: if it does not occur after fifteen days from the completion of your habitual period and the completion of the days of istizhar, then it is not counted as menstruation.
Allah Knows best.
Search Fatwa
Fatwa Subject
