Istihadha is a type of blood seen by women where the discharge is irregular. In order to better understand the rules of Istihadha and the different types of Istihadha let us follow the eight simple guidelines below:

1. Verification of what kind of blood it is

2. Signs of Istihadha

3. Types of Istihadha

4. Rules of Istihadha

5. Change in intensity of blood flow

6. Fasting during Istihadha

7. Sex during Istihadha

8. Hajj/Umrah in Istihadha

9. Miscellaneous points

1) Verification

If the blood seen has the following conditions, then it is Istihadha.

• If the blood seen is not part of the regular menstrual cycle1

• If the blood seen is not Nifas (blood seen after childbirth)

• If the blood seen is not from a boil or from surgery or any wound-like a cut, a tear, etc

2) Signs Of Istihadha

Blood seen at the time of Istihadha usually has its own distinctive features. It:

• Is usually yellowish in colour2

• Is usually not thick

• Is usually cold

• Usually comes out without force and burning

However, there are always some exceptions. A woman may see Istihadha blood that is red or dark, thick; warm or that comes out with force and burning.

3) Types Of Istihadha

After following steps 1 and 2, that is after one verifies that the blood seen is Istihadha, the next step is to know what type of Istihadha it is, as the rules differ for each type. To determine what type of Istihadha it is, or if one isn’t sure what type of Istihadha one has, then one must place a layer of cotton3 on the entrance of the vagina4 and see how much blood soaks the cotton. Below are the three different types of Istihadha one will determine after the test:

• Qaleelah (Little flow): when tested on a piece of cotton ball, blood is on the surface and does not show on the reverse side. It does not soak/permeate inside.

• Mutawassitah (Medium flow): when tested on a piece of cotton, blood seeps in and is seen on the reverse side. Blood does not stain the underwear.5

• Katheera (Excessive flow): when tested on a piece of cotton, blood flows out from the cotton and leaves a stain on the underwear.

Note: The best way to examine the type of Istihadha is on a piece of cotton ball, because on a sanitary pad the blood is absorbed and usually a sanitary pad has a plastic base to avoid leakage. Hence to determine the type of Istihadha cotton should be used.

4) Rules Of Istihadha

Having determined the type of Istihadha, there are now different rules for the different types of blood. We have already talked about how to determine the type of Istihadha blood above.

A. Rules for Qaleelah (Little flow)

• Wash the surface of the vagina

• Change the cotton

• For each prayer perform one wudhu (ablution)

• All other kinds of worship where wudhu is necessary require a new wudhu as per Ihtiyat al-Wajib (Imam Khomeini). What this means is if a woman has made wudhu for salat and if she decides to touch the script of the Qur’an, she needs to do wudhu after salat again.

But, as per Ayatullah Sistani it is wajib (not just Ihtiyat al-Wajib6) to do wudhu again for the other acts of worship that require wudhu.

Note: To prevent the blood from gushing out, insert cotton about the size of a walnut in the vagina and let the cotton stay in vagina. If the blood comes out in the midst of the prayers it will be deemed void.7

Further explanation: If a woman sees a little discharge of blood and as per the verification, she is sure its Istihadha then, for performing each prayer she should wash the surface of her vagina, change the cotton and perform Wudhu.

Helping Note: Let the cotton stay in vagina. Between 2 prayers examine it; if no blood is seen, refreshing the Wudhu is not necessary.

Note: Ghusl is not wajib after Istihadha Qaleelah

B. Rules for Mutawassitah (Medium flow)

• Do the 3 steps of Qaleelah

• For the first prayer (recited after the woman sees blood) perform ghusl

• From the next day, perform ghusl for the morning prayers every day.

Further explanation: If a woman performs ghusl for the afternoon prayers, she should perform ghusl the next day in the morning before Fajr prayer. That is, if she performs first ghusl in the afternoon then she needs to perform the next ghusl in the morning before Fajr, next day.

Note: All other kinds of worship where wudhu is necessary should be done with a new wudhu as per Ihtiyat al-Wajib (Imam Khomeini). What this means is if a woman has made wudhu for salat and if she decides to touch the script of the Qur’an, she needs to do wudhu again after salat.

As per Ayatullah Sistani its wajib to do wudhu again for the other acts of worship that require wudhu.

Another important point: Ayatullah Sistani says that a woman should perform the ghusl first and then do wudhu as per Ihtiyat al-Wajib. Whereas, Imam Khomeini says it does not matter if one performs ghusl first or wudhu.

Further explanation: If a woman sees medium discharge of blood and as per the and verification, she is sure it is Istihadha then, for performing each prayer she should wash the surface of her vagina, change the cotton and perform Wudhu and in addition perform ghusl if it is the first salat of the day.

From the next day in addition to doing the 3 steps of Qaleelah, she should perform ghusl for the morning prayers only, but for the other prayers she should wash the surface of the vagina, change the cotton and do wudhu for each prayer and pray right away without taking a break.

C. Rules for Katheera (Excessive flow)

• For each prayer perform one ghusl

• Do the 3 steps of Qaleelah

• If praying Asr right after Dhuhr or Isha right after Maghrib, only 3 ghusls are enough for the day.

Further explanation: If a woman sees excessive discharge of blood and as per the verification if she is sure, it is Istihadha then, for performing each prayer she should perform ghusl and then wash the surface of the vagina and then change the cotton and do wudhu and pray right away without taking a break.

But if a woman is going to pray Asr prayers right after Dhuhr prayers and Isha prayers right after Maghrib Prayers only one ghusl for each set of prayers will suffice. However, between Dhuhr and Asr, Maghrib and Isha she must wash, change the cotton and do wudhu.8

Important Note: As per Ayatullah Sistani wudhu is not needed after the ghusl but if a woman wishes she should do it before ghusl for Katheera. Whereas, Imam Khomeini says it does not matter if wudhu is made before ghusl or after, but wudhu is required.

5) Change Of Intensity Of Blood Flow

When one sees the intensity of the blood flow increase, then there are different rules that apply:

A. Change of Flow from Less to More

• Qaleelah to Mutawassitah (Little to Medium flow)

• Qaleelah to Katheera (Little to Excessive flow)

• Mutawassitah to Katheera (Medium to Excessive flow)

Rules to be followed if the blood flow changes from less to more as stated above:

• If before prayer: If the intensity of the blood flow changes from less to more, before a woman prays:

  • If the flow changes from little to medium then the rules for medium apply.

  • If the flow changes from little/medium to excessive then the rules for excessive apply.

Note: For explanation of rules for little flow, medium flow and excessive, refer to the rules of Istihadha.

• During prayers: If a woman feels while praying that the intensity of the blood flow changed from less to more:

  • If by discontinuing the prayers there is no fear that they will become Qadha, then a woman should discontinue praying and take care of the duty as per the rules, then perform prayers.

Further explanation: If a woman starts praying and realizes that the blood flow has increased then she should see if there is enough time left so that her prayers do not get Qadha. If there is enough time left then she should discontinue her prayers.

After discontinuing her prayers, she should check to see if the flow has increased to medium or excessive Istihadha, and then follow the rules accordingly.

• If there is not enough time left, then she should not discontinue the prayers. She should complete the prayers, then check to see if the intensity of the flow increased to medium flow or excessive flow. Follow the rules accordingly, and then repeat the prayer again with the intention of Qadha.

B. Change of Flow from More to Less

• Katheera to Qaleelah (Excessive to Little)

• Katheera to Mutawassitah (Excessive to Medium)

• Mutawassitah to Qaleelah (Medium to Little)

Rules to be followed if the blood flow changes from more to less as stated above:

• For the first prayer a woman should follow the rules as per the state she was in. Prayers after that are going to be according to the state she is in.

Further explanation: If a woman is in the state of Katheera (Excessive flow) and before praying Fajr she realizes that she is in the state of Qaleelah (Little) now, she should follow the rules for Katheera for praying Fajr and then for Dhuhr she should follow the rules for Qaleelah, if she is still in that state.

If a woman after Dhuhr realizes that she is not in a state of Katheera anymore but she is in a state of Qaleelah now, she should still follow the rules for Katheera for praying Asr and then for Maghrib and the prayers after that she should follow the rules of Qaleelah, if she is still in that state.

6) Fasting During Istihadha

• During Qaleelah: A woman should follow the rules she follows before prayers. With the only exception that a cotton should be inserted inside the vagina to prevent the blood from gushing out (As per Imam Khomeini this is Ihtiyat al-Wajib for all the states of Istihadha9).

• During Mutawassitah: A woman should follow the rules she follows before prayers. With the only exception that a cotton should be inserted inside the vagina to prevent the blood from gushing out.

• During Katheera: A woman should perform ghusl, the evening before for prayers of Maghrib.

And…

Perform ghusl for each prayer if there is going to be a gap between the prayers. For example, if she performs ghusl for Maghrib and then prays Isha right after Maghrib, then another ghusl is not needed.

And…

Insert cotton inside the vagina, to prevent the blood from gushing out.

Note: Ayatullah Sistani says that it is not a problem if the blood gushes out during the fast, and the fast is valid, but she has to prevent the blood from gushing out of her vagina during her salats.10

7) Sex During Istihadha

• During the state of Qaleelah: Rules of Qaleelah (Under ‘Rules of Istihadha’) apply.

• During the state of Mutawassitah: Must have ghusl before sex.

• During the state of Katheera: Must have ghusl before sex. But if sex is performed soon after prayers, ghusl is not necessary.

Note: Ayatullah Sistani says that ghusl is not needed before sex in any of the three conditions of Istihadha11(Performing ghusl is Ihtiyat al-Mustahab).

8) Hajj/Umrah In Istihadha

• In Istihadha Qaleelah: Stop blood from gushing out of the vagina (during Tawaf and salat) and a wudhu before tawaf and another wudhu before salat is required.

• In Istihadha Mutawassitah: Stop blood from gushing out of the vagina (during Tawaf and salat). Also, a ghusl and a wudhu before tawaf and another wudhu before salat is required.

• In Istihadha Kathira: Stop blood from gushing out of the vagina (during Tawaf and salat). Also, a ghusl and a wudhu before tawaf and another wudhu before salat is required.

Ayatullah Sistani says that one ghusl is sufficient before tawaf and salat. The wudhu is not required as long as the wudhu does not get void (This is only for Istihadha Katheera).

• Istihadha during Tawaf:

• If she sees Istihadha before the 4rth round, her tawaf is void. She should follow the rules for the state she is in and redo her tawaf from the beginning.

• If she sees Istihadha after the 4rth round, she should follow the rules for the state she is in and continue her tawaf from the 5^th round.

Note: Please refer to the section of the ‘Rules of Istihadha’ for better understanding of her duty.

9) Miscellaneous Points Regarding Istihadha

• According to Ayatullah Sistani if a woman after doing the cotton ball test is not sure if she is in a state of Mutawassitah or Qaleelah she should consider it as Qaleelah. Another scenario would be if a woman is not sure if she is in a state of Katheera or Mutawassitah. In this case she should consider it to be Mutawassitah. In other words when in doubt after the test she must always go with the lesser one.

• If a woman delays her prayers thinking that her Istihadha will stop before the salat becomes Qadha, then it is okay to do so as long as she does not delay her prayers so long that they become Qadha.

• Salat al-Ayat is the prayers that are obligatory at the time of natural calamities for example, an earthquake, a lunar eclipse, or a solar eclipse etc. Salat al-Ayat is obligatory on a woman who is experiencing Istihadha. All the rules required for a woman in Istihadha during the other obligatory prayers are also required for this salat. (Please note: Same rules apply for all the obligatory prayers.)

• Entering a mosque in Istihadha is allowed but entering a mosque in Jum12 is not allowed.

• 1. “It doesn’t meet one or more of the conditions of haidh”.
• 2. Sistani says it could be pink and light brown too.
• 3. Normally what is meant is a regularly-shaped and -sized cotton ball.
• 4. Squat and place cotton on the vagina or let the cotton cover her vagina, stand up and examine it after she feels the blood came out.
• 5. The blood doesn’t come out the other side such that it can transfer onto something else, like your hand or underwear.
• 6. Please check glossary for the term.
• 7. The blood must not exit out of your body while in the state of prayer. You don’t actually have to put anything there if you’re sure that blood won’t exit while you’re praying; for example, if someone is bleeding so little that it’s basically just a drop every few hours, she knows nothing will come out during a 4-rakat prayer. So, she doesn’t actually need to put anything there. Also, it’s not necessary to use cotton; you could use a tampon or anything at all.
• 8. Sistani says you don’t need a separate wudhu for ‘Asr or ‘Isha if being prayed right after Dhuhr/Maghrib. As in, you never have to do wudhu for your prayers - the ghusl of Istihadha Kathira itself is sufficient.
• 9. A woman can refer (do ruju’) to Sistani in this issue. Then she has to avoid the blood from gushing out from vagina only in her salat and not throughout her fast.
• 10. Rahbar (Khamenei) says that we can refer (do ruju’) to Sistani here.
• 11. For Rahbar (Khamenei), it is Ihtiyat al-Wajib to do ghusl, not wajib (Taudhih al-Masail, Persian translation, masala 428). So, followers of Rabhar (Khamenei) can do ruju’ to Syed Sistani here.
• 12. Please refer the glossary for the meaning of ‘Jum’.