How Can I Judge When My Menstrual Period Has Ended?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

I normally see blood the first 4 or 5 days of my menstruation then for 5 or 6 days I see a brownish discharge. On the 6th,7th, 8th days I see small amount of brownish color on my pad. On the 9th and 1oth days I don’t see any color but if I insert a cotton I see a brownish color.

Should I include these days in my period or can I pray?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

The basis is that your menstrual period ends when you see clear or white discharge, or no discharge at all. The way to make this judgement is to use a kursuf (piece of cotton or the like placed at the labial lips) because colours can often oxidise making them seem different to what they actually are. (Hence white or clear can look yellow…)

I’d recommend getting hold of Ustadha Hedaya Hartford’s Coming of Age.

Please also see: Discolored Menstrual Blood & When To Stop Praying and: White Discharge and Preventing Discharge from Breaking Wudu

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.