How Do I Determine The End of My Menstruation?


Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

Fifteen minutes before Fajr ended, I checked if my period had ended. The discharge I found seemed very faintly yellow, so I wasn’t sure if it was clear. Hence, I didn’t do ghusl or pray. I’m assuming my period will end in another hour or two, maybe? Maybe less? I may check again a minute or two before Fajr ends.
Should I pray Fajr after ghusl?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

Normal white discharge can often change color and become yellow after oxidization. You can assume that to be the case in your situation, and you had 15 minutes to do the ghusl and pray.

Case Explanation in Detail

If one’s menstruation finishes with enough time to perform the ritual bath (ghusl), get dressed, and say the prayer’s opening Takbir (Allahu Akbar), they are obliged to pray. If they missed the prayer, they must make it up, like in your case

Even though one is not obliged to pray at the beginning of the prayer time, consideration is given to the end of the prayer time.

Therefore, if you were considered pure before the prayer time of Fajr exited with the above 15 minutes remaining, and Fajr was obligatory on you, you will make it up.

If yellow, turbid, white clear discharge is seen, it will signify that menses has ended within possible days.

[Ackbarali, A Muslim Woman’s Guide to Menstruation Rulings]

Advice

It is a personal obligation (fard) for every adult woman to learn the basic rules of menstruation and to ask, as you’ve done, in the case of a complicated or unique situation). The following two books, A Muslim Woman’s Guide To Menstruation Rulings: Amazon.co.uk: Ackbarali, Naielah: 9781739599911: Books and Coming of Age by Ustadha Hedaya Hartford, are very accessible books to learn these rulings. They are in English and have many practical examples, life experiences, and even illustrative charts to calculate menstruation.

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.

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I pray this helps with your question.

Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.