Question
Is the following Hadith authentically reported by Ibrahim Nakha’i (rahimahullah)?
Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) has said: ‘The minimum period of menses is three days and the longest period [of menses] is 10 days; and the minimum period [of purity] between the two menses is 15 days.’
Answer
‘Allamah Marghinani (rahimahullah) has alluded to this narration in his Kitab Al-Hidayah.
(Al-Hidayah, vol. 1 pg. 64, Maktabah Rahmaniyah edition)
Allamah Zayla’i and Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahumallah) have mentioned that they could not find this Hadith. ‘
(Nasbur Rayah, vol. 1 pg. 199, and Ad-Dirayah, vol. 1 pg. 88)
‘Allamah ‘Ayni (rahimahullah) has stated that this particular narration [reported via Ibrahim Nakha’i – rahimahullah] does not exist in any of the books of Hadith.
(ليس هذا موجودا في الكتب المتعلقة بنفس الحديث والأخبار)
(Al-Binayah, vol. 1 pg. 551; Also see: Al-‘Ilalul Mutanahiyah, vol. 1 pg. 382-383, Number: 640, Fathul Qadir, vol. 1 pg. 164 onwards, Al-Binayah, vol. 1 pg. 515 onwards, ‘Umdatul Qari, Kitabul Haydh, Chapter 24, At-Ta’rif wal Ikhbar, Hadith: 72, Fathu Babil ‘Inayah, vol. 1 pg. 132 onwards, Raddul Muhtar, vol. 2 pg. 250, and I’ilaus Sunan, vol. 1 pg. 353)
And Allah Ta’ala knows best.
Answered by: Moulana Farhan Shariff
Approved by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar,
Note: My Honourable Teacher; Al-‘Allamatul Muhaddith, has -in his new annotations to Nasbur Rayah (after Hadith 641)- cited a narration of Sayyiduna Anas (radiyallahu’anhu) from Imam Bayhaqi’s Al-Khilafiyyat vol.1 pg. 561 (992) with a similar meaning. Although the chain is debated by some.