Does My Period Start Only When I See Red Blood?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

I’m really confused about my period.

I didn’t have my menses for 5 months then for 4 months I saw brownish, yellowish, Brown-orangish, yellow-orangish, and pinkish colors for four to six days each months but no bleeding (red blood). There is more than 15 days of Purity in between each. Are those days my menses?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

In terms of determining your menstrual period, blood is legally defined as any discoloured discharge, namely, that which is not white. Hence, there is no condition that actual red blood appear at any point during your menstruation.

Accordingly, you should check your dates to ensure that you don’t have any missed prayers to take care of.

[Ibn ‘Abidin/Birgivi, Manhal al-Waridin Sharh Dhukhr al-Muta’ahhilin (122)]

Please also see: Discolored Menstrual Blood & When To Stop Praying and: Do Clear or White Vaginal Discharges Invalidate Wudu?

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

wassalam,
[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.