What Should I Do About my Vaginal Discharge?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

Do I have to change my undergarments if I have some vaginal discharge? Do I need to retake my ablution?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. May Allah guide us to that which pleases Him, Amin.

This type of moisture (mucus) from a woman’s private part is considered pure. Your ablution is invalidated when anything exits the private part, but not because you were in contact with the discharge, and Allah knows best.

Vaginal Discharge

Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami classified vaginal moisture/discharge as follows:

1. Pure – The moisture (mucus) that sometimes exits a woman’s private part is usually whitish between madhy and sweat. If it exits from an area of the vagina that must be washed in a purificatory bath (ghusl), in other words, the area that becomes exposed when a lady squats.
2. Impure – If it exits from an area of the vagina that does not require washing in a purificatory bath, it is impure (najis).
3. Differing Views – If the moisture exits from an area between the areas mentioned in 1 & 2 above, there are differing views, but the official view of the School is that it is pure (not najasa).  [Hashiya Al-Jamal ‘ala Sharh Al-Manhaj]

Even though the moisture from deep within the female private part is considered najis upon exiting the vagina (number 2 above), any “contamination” would be overlooked (ma‘fuw ‘anhu). (Therefore, the male private part is not considered to be contaminated after intercourse. Similarly, the lady’s finger, should she require inserting it for a valid reason,) and Allah knows best. [Jamal, Futuhat Al-Wahhab bi Tawdih Sharh Manhaj Al-Tullab (Hashiyat Al-Jamal ‘ala Sharh Al-Manhaj)]

I pray this is of benefit.

[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar, Shaykh Taha Karaan. 

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and pursuing his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.