Question:
Assalamualaikum SS Dato’ Seri Mufti. I want to ask, when I was in istihadhah, is it permissible for me to stay and perform iktikaf in mosques?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
In answering the above question, there is a hadith from Aisyah R.Anha, wehre she said, Fatimah binti Abu Hubaish came to meet the Prophet PBUH and asked:
يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّى امْرَأَةٌ أُسْتَحَاضُ فَلاَ أَطْهُرُ أَفَأَدَعُ الصَّلاَةَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لاَ إِنَّمَا ذَلِكِ عِرْقٌ وَلَيْسَ بِحَيْضَةِ فَإِذَا أَقْبَلَتْ حَيْضَةُ فاترُكي الصَّلاَةَ فإِذَا ذَهَبَ قدرها فَاغْسِلِى عَنْكِ الدَّمَ وَصَلِّى
“O Messenger of Allah, I am a woman whose blood keeps flowing (even after the menstruation). I am never purified; should I, therefore, stop praying?” He (the Prophet) said: “No, for that is only a vein, and is not menstruation. So, when the menstruation comes, abstain from prayers, and when it ends wash the blood from yourself and then pray.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (236) and Sahih Muslim (333)
According to the above hadith, there are several matters that should be understood. First, istihadhah is blood that came out not during menstruation or nifas (bleeding due to childbirth). Whether the bleeding is less than 24 hours or after 15 days of menstruation. See: Hasyiah al-Baijuri (1/212).
Second, the rulings regarding istihadhah is different for the rulings of menstruation and nifas. For a person experiencing istihadhah, she is not prohibited from worships that one must be in a pure state such as praying and fasting. This is in accordance with what is said by Imam al-Nawawi:
الْمُسْتَحَاضَةَ كَالطَّاهِرِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَالصَّوْمِ وَالِاعْتِكَافِ وَالْقِرَاءَةِ وَغَيْرِهَا
A woman experiencing istihadhah is the same (where the rulings are the same) as a pure person in (the rulings for) prayer, fast, iktikaf and recitation of the Quran and others. See al-Majmu’ (2/372).
Conclusion
According to the above discussion, in our opinion it is not an issue for a woman experiencing istihadhah to perform iktikaf in mosques. However, she must ensure there is no leakage or blood dripping in the prayer section of the mosque.
Furthermore, for more information regarding the issues for istihadhah, you can refer to our previous articles:
- Irsyad al-Fatwa Sereis 226: Vaginal Bleeding or Vaginal Spotting Due to Fibroid Extraction Surgery
- Al-Kafi #685: Istihadhah Blood According to Tamyiz or Custom?
May Allah SWT bless us with understanding to practise His commandments. Amin.
End notes: