Prayer and Menstruation

Question: If the prayer time enters and then one starts menstruating, does one have to make up the prayer? 

Answer:

Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

Dear questioner,

Thank you for your important question.

If the prayer time enters, and then one’s menstruation starts, one must make up that prayer if enough time elapsed for one to have prayed it.

For example, one knows one is not menstruating, and one is shopping and intends to delay the prayer until half an hour before the next prayer. But when one comes to pray, one finds that the menstruation has already started, in this case, one must make up that prayer.

However, if one’s menstruation starts just a few minutes after the prayer time began, one is not obliged to pray that prayer at all (Bushra al Karim, Ba Ishn).

If one notices that one’s menstruation started a short time after one prayed, then one assumes that it started after finishing praying.

If a person is not sure of how many prayers one has to makeup, a reasonable estimation should be made. One does not simply repeat all the prayers of the days of the onset and cessation of the menstruation cycle.

I pray this helps.

[Shaykh] Farid

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language