Is Withdrawal Bleeding Considered Menstruation?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question: Assalamu alaykum

I have a medical condition called PCOS which leads to me having irregular periods.

I always counted the bleeding that occurred at the end of my birth control pack as “hayd”(menstruation), but was wondering if it should be counted as istihada instead? Since it’s not a physiologic period and was created through hormones, does it not count as “hayd?”

Answer: Wa ‘alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullah wa bar
Thank you for your question. In the Shari’a, menstral blood is the blood which comes from the breaking down of the uterine lining, regardless of the cause of the menstrual cycle (Manhal al-Waridin, Ibn Abidin). Therefore, you can keep treating it as your actual period and there is no need to repeat any prayers or fasts. And Allah knows best.

May Allah bless you with the best of both worlds.

Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 to study and sit at the feet of some of the most erudite scholars of our time.

Over the following eighteen months he studied a traditional curriculum, studying with scholars such as Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh Abdurrahman Arjan, Shaykh Hussain Darwish and Shaykh Muhammad Darwish.

In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years, in Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Shama’il, and Logic with teachers such as Dr Ashraf Muneeb, Dr Salah Abu’l-Hajj, Dr Hamza al-Bakri, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Dr Mansur Abu Zina amongst others. He was also given two licences of mastery in the science of Qur’anic recital by Shakh Samir Jabr and Shaykh Yahya Qandil.

His true passion, however, arose in the presence of Shaykh Ali Hani, considered by many to be one of the foremost tafsir scholars of our time who provided him with the keys to the vast knowledge of the Quran. With Shaykh Ali, he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Qur’anic Sciences, Tafsir, Arabic Grammar, and Rhetoric.

When he finally left Jordan for the UK in 2014, Shaykh Ali gave him his distinct blessing and still recommends students in the UK to seek out Shaykh Abdul-Rahim for Quranic studies. Since his return he has trained as a therapist and has helped a number of people overcome emotional and psychosomatic issues. He is a keen promoter of emotional and mental health.