The Book ISLAMIC LAWS

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Hayz

Menstrual discharge (Hayz) is a kind of blood which is normally discharged every month from the womb of women for a few days. When menses is discharged the woman is called 'Haaez'.

440. Menses is usually thick and warm and its colour is either black or red. It is discharged with a pressure and a little irritation.

441. The blood seen by women after the age of 60 years is not classified as Hayz. And as per recommended precaution, women who are not from the clan of Quraish, if they see blood between the age of 50 and 60 years, having the same signs as those of Hayz, they should combine the 'dos' of mustahaza and 'don'ts' of Haaez.

442. Blood seen by a girl who has not yet completed 9 years of her age will not be classified as Hayz.

443. It is quite possible for a pregnant woman or a breast feeding mother to see Hayz and the rules which apply to a non-pregnant woman also apply to a pregnant one, except that if a woman who has conceived sees blood with the usual signs of Hayz 20 days after the commencement of her habitual period then it is necessary for her, on the basis of precaution, to refrain from the acts which are forbidden to a haaez and to perform the obligations of a mustahaza.

444. If a girl does not know whether she has completed nine years of age or not and if she sees blood which does not bear any sign of Hayz, then that blood is definitely not Hayz. And if it has some semblance of Hayz, even then it is difficult to classify it as Hayz, unless one is absolutely sure. This absolute certitude will determine that she has completed her nine years.

445. If a woman who is doubtful as to whether or not, she has completed 60 years of age, sees blood which she cannot decide whether it is of Hayz or not she should decide that she has not completed 60 years.

446. The period of Hayz is not less than 3 days and not more than 10 days and if the period during which blood is discharged falls short of 3 days even by a small measure of time, that blood will not be considered as Hayz.

447. The blood of Hayz flows continuously for the first 3 days. Therefore, if blood is seen for 2 days and then interrupted for 1 day and then seen again for 1 day, it will not be Hayz.

448. In the initial stage, it is necessary that blood flows out, but it is not necessary to be seen flowing out during all the three days. It is sufficient for the blood to be internally present. So, if a woman is clean for a brief period during the first 3 days (as is common among all or some women) even then the blood discharged will be Hayz.

449. It is not necessary that a woman should have bleeding on the 1st and the 4th night, but it is essential that bleeding should not discontinue on the 2nd and the 3rd night. For example, if bleeding commences on the morning of the 1st day and continues till sunset on the 3rd day, it would be considered as Hayz. Similarly, if blood is seen from the middle of the 1st day and stops at the same time on the 4th day the same will apply.

450. If a woman sees blood continuously for three days, and then it stops for a brief period before it is seen again, and if the total number of days in which blood was seen and in which it stopped does not exceed ten, then the days in which blood flowed will be counted as of Hayz, and the in between period of respite will be of obligatory precaution, during which she will do all that she should do when she is Pak, and also refrain from all those acts which are forbidden to the Haaez.

451. If blood is seen for more than three days and less than ten days and she does not know whether the blood is of a sore or a wound or of Hayz, she should not treat it as Hayz.

452. If a woman sees blood about which she is unable to discern as to whether it is the blood of wound or of Hayz, she should continue to perform her acts of worship, except when her preceding condition was that of Hayz.

453. If a woman doubts whether the blood she has seen is of Hayz or Istihaza, she should treat it to be Hayz if it bears the properties of Hayz.

454. If a woman is unable to decide whether the blood she has seen is of Hayz or of virginity, she should examine herself i.e. she should insert cotton in herself and wait for some time. If she finds that only its sides have been stained with blood then it is virginal blood, and if the blood has soaked the entire piece of cotton then it is Hayz.

455. If blood is seen for less than 3 days and then stops and starts again for 3 days the second blood will be Hayz but the first blood will not be considered as Hayz even if it was seen during the days of habit.