Answered by: Alimah Safiyya-Maryam Ahmed
Question:
This has happened a lot of times, that whenever I am on my period, I usually don’t wake up for fajr, and wake up sometime after sunrise happens. My question is, towards the end of my period, should I wake up for fajr or not? I usually didn’t, but someone told me you have to in order to check if you’re pure or not. And also, previously, I would go to bed at night knowing that I am not yet pure, and then I would wake up in the morning and see if there was still brownish/yellowish discharge, I would still be on my period. But since I didn’t wake up for fajr to see if I was pure then, do I need to make up this fajr prayer?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Generally, a woman is not obligated to check herself frequently, however when she knows she is towards the end of her menstrual days then she must check before each salah time whether she is pure or not, thus whether the current salah is obligatory on her or not. This is because if a woman becomes pure before the current salah time ends and has enough time to do ghusl and pray, the current salah becomes obligatory on her. If she finishes for example 10 minutes before Dhuhr ends/Asr begins then she may not have enough time to do ghusl and pray therefore Dhuhr is not fardh on her but only Asr will be. Therefore, she must ensure she checks with enough time to do ghusl and pray within the preferred time if needed. Also, the best method of checking the end of menses is with a Kursuf (a form of cotton cloth placed between the labia minora at the opening of the vagina), rather than a pad or pantyliner.
For example towards the end of her cycle, she can check approximately 45 minutes before Fajr starts to see whether the blood has stopped/there is only a clear or white discharge so that if the blood has stopped she has enough time to do ghusl and pray Isha. Please note the mention of 45 minutes is approximate, it will depend on the situation of the woman and how long it would take her to do ghusl and pray.
Only Allah knows best
Written by Alimah Safiyya-Maryam Ahmed
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
“When the end is pending she is obliged to check the Kursuf- which must have been placed correctly- before the end of the prayer time such that she has time to take a bath and pray in its preferred time.”
Birgivi’s Manual Interpreted, Page 50, Amanah Publications