My Menstruation Started While I Was in Janaba

Question: I delayed my ghusl after intercourse until the fajr prayer during which my menstruation started after sunrise. Should I perform ghusl for janaba despite having entered menstruation? Or should I take both ghusl for janaba and menstruation after it ends and makeup fajr?

Answer:

Assalam Alaykum

Thank you for your question sister.

There is no need to perform a ghusl for your janaba while you are menstruating, but you may do so for cleanliness.

“When a woman who is obliged to both lift a state of major ritual impurity (janaba) and purify after menstruation, performs the purification bath for either of these, it suffices for both” [The Reliance of the Traveller, p.83].

According to the ruling above, you can take your ghusl after your menstrual cycle is finished and you can intend to purify from either major ritual impurity. Your ghusl will cover both states.

It is praiseworthy that you make up your fajr prayer out of precaution because you are uncertain whether your period started before or after sunrise. If you were certain that it started before sunrise, it would be obligatory for you to make up the fajr prayer.

In general, we advise that a couple always take their ritual baths (ghusl) before sleeping, in order to have better sleep and to reduce the chance of missing the obligatory fajr prayer.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafseer and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.