Sahih al-Bukhari: Book 6: Menstrual Periods

‘Aishah said, “We set out with the sole intention of performing Hajj and when we reached Sarif, (a place six miles from Makkah) I got my menses. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ came to me while I was weeping. He said ‘What is the matter with you? Have you got your menses?’ I replied, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘This is a thing which Allah has ordained for the daughters of Adam. So do what all the pilgrims do with the exception of the Taw-af (Circumambulation) round the Ka’bah.” ‘Aishah added, “Allah’s Messenger ﷺ sacrificed cows on behalf of his wives.”

While in menses, I used to comb the hair of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ .

A person asked me, “Can a woman in menses serve me? And can a Junub woman come close to me?” I replied, “All this is easy for me. All of them can serve me, and there is no harm for any other person to do the same. ‘Aishah told me that she used to comb the hair of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ while she was in her menses, and he was in Itikaf (in the mosque). He would bring his head near her in her room and she would comb his hair, while she used to be in her menses.”

The Prophet ﷺ used to lean on my lap and recite Qur’an while I was in menses.

While I was laying with the Prophet ﷺ under a single woolen sheet, I got the menses. I slipped away and put on the clothes for menses. He said, “Have you got “Nifas” (menses)?” I replied, “Yes.” He then called me and made me lie with him under the same sheet.

The Prophet ﷺ and I used to take a bath from a single pot while we were Junub. During the menses,

300. he used to order me to put on an Izar (dress worn below the waist) and used to fondle me.

301. While in Itikaf, he used to bring his head near me and I would wash it while I used to be in my periods (menses).

(on the authority of his father) ‘Aishah said: “Whenever Allah’s Messenger ﷺ wanted to fondle anyone of us during her periods (menses), he used to order her to put on an Izar and start fondling her.” ‘Aishah added, “None of you could control his sexual desires as the Prophet ﷺ could.”

When ever Allah’s Messenger ﷺ wanted to fondle any of his wives during the periods (menses), he used to ask her to wear an Izar.

Once Allah’s Messenger ﷺ went out to the Musalla (to offer the prayer) o ‘Id-al-Adha or Al-Fitr prayer. Then he passed by the women and said, “O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women).” They asked, “Why is it so, O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ ?” He replied, “You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you.” The women asked, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! What is deficient in our intelligence and religion?” He said, “Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?” They replied in the affirmative. He said, “This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isn’t it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?” The women replied in the affirmative. He said, “This is the deficiency in her religion.”

We set out with the Prophet ﷺ for Hajj and when we reached Sarif I got my menses. When the Prophet ﷺ came to me, I was weeping. He asked, “Why are you weeping?” I said, “I wish if I had not performed Hajj this year.” He asked, “May be that you got your menses?” I replied, “Yes.” He then said, “This is the thing which Allah has ordained for all the daughters of Adam. So do what all the pilgrims do except that you do not perform the Tawaf round the Ka’bah till you are clean.”

Fatima bint Abi Hubaish said to Allah’s Messenger ﷺ, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! I do not become clean (from bleeding). Shall I give up my prayers?” Allah’s Messenger ﷺ replied: “No, because it is from a blood vessel and not the menses. So when the real menses begins give up your prayers and when it (the period) has finished wash the blood off your body (take a bath) and offer your prayers.”

A woman asked Allah’s Messenger ﷺ, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! What should we do, if the blood of menses falls on our clothes?” Allah’s Messenger ﷺ replied, “If the blood of menses falls on the garment of anyone of you, she must take hold of the blood spot, rub it, and wash it with water and then pray in (with it).”

Whenever anyone of us got her menses, she, on becoming clean, used to take hold of the blood spot and rub the blood off her garment, and pour water over it and wash that portion thoroughly and sprinkle water over the rest of the garment. After that she would pray in (with) it.

Once one of the wives of the Prophet ﷺ did Itikaf along with him and she was getting bleeding in between her periods. She used to see the blood (from her private parts) and she would perhaps put a dish under her for the blood. (The sub-narrator ‘Ikrima added, ‘Aishah once saw the liquid of safflower and said, “It looks like what so and so used to have.”)

“One of the wives of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ joined him in I’tikaf and she noticed blood and yellowish discharge (from her private parts) and put a dish under her when she prayed.”

One of the mothers of the faithful believers (i.e. the wives of the Prophet ﷺ ) did I’tikaf while she was having bleeding in between her periods.

None of us had more than a single garment and we used to have our menses while wearing it. Whenever it got soiled with blood of menses we used to apply saliva to the blood spot and rub off the blood with our nails.

We were forbidden to mourn for a dead person for more than three days except in the case of a husband for whom mourning was allowed for four months and ten days. (During that time) we were not allowed to put ko,hl (Antimony eye power) in our eyes or to use perfumes or to put on colored clothes except a dress made of ‘Asb (a kind of Yemen cloth, very coarse and rough). We were allowed very light perfumes at the time of taking a bath after menses and also we were forbidden to go with the funeral procession.

A woman asked the Prophet ﷺ about the bath which is take after finishing from the menses. The Prophet ﷺ told her what to do and said, “Purify yourself with a piece of cloth scented with musk.” The woman asked, “How shall I purify myself with it” He said, “Subhan Allah! Purify yourself (with it).” I pulled her to myself and said, “Rub the place soiled with blood with it.”

An Ansari woman asked the Prophet ﷺ how to take a bath after finishing from the menses. He replied, “Take a piece a cloth perfumed with musk and clean the private parts with it thrice.” The Prophet ﷺ felt shy and turned his face. So pulled her to me and told her what the Prophet ﷺ meant.

In the last Hajj of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ I assume the Ihram for Hajj along with Allah’s Messenger ﷺ. I was one of those who intended Tamattu’ (to perform Hajj an ‘Umra) and did not take the Hadi (animal for sacrifice) with me. I got my menses and was not clean till the night of ‘Arafa I said, “O Allah’s Messenger ﷺ! It is the night of the day of ‘Arafat and I intended to perform the Hajj Tamattu’ with ‘Umra Allah’s Messenger ﷺ told me to undo my hair and comb it and to postpone the ‘Umra. I did the same and completed the Hajj. On the night of Al-Hasba (i.e. place outside Makkah where the pilgrims go after finishing all the ceremonies Hajj at Mina) he (the Prophet ﷺ ordered ‘Abdur Rahman (‘Aishah’s brother) to take me to At-Tan’im to assume the Ihram for’Umra in lieu of that of Hajj-at-Tamattu’ which I had intended to perform.

On the 1st of Dhul-Hijja we set out with the intention of performing Hajj. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “Any one who likes to assume the Ihram for ‘Umra he can do so. Had I not brought the Hadi with me, I would have assumed the Ihram for ‘Umra. “Some of us assumed the Ihram for ‘Umra while the others assumed the Ihram for Hajj. I was one of those who assumed the Ihram for ‘Umra. I got menses and kept on menstruating until the day of ‘Arafat and complained of that to the Prophet ﷺ . He told me to postpone my ‘Umra, undo and comb my hair, and to assure the Ihram of Hajj and I did so. On the right of Hasba, he sent my brother ‘Abdur-Rahman bin Abi Bakr with me to At-Tah’im, where I assumed the Ihram for’Umra in lieu of the previous one. Hisham said, “For that (‘Umra) no Hadi, fasting or alms were required.

The Prophet ﷺ said, “At every womb Allah appoints an angel who says, ‘O Lord! A drop of semen, O Lord! A clot. O Lord! A little lump of flesh.” Then if Allah wishes (to complete) its creation, the angel asks, (O Lord!) Will it be a male or female, a wretched or a blessed, and how much will his provision be? And what will his age be?’ So all that is written while the child is still in the mother’s womb.”

‘Aishah said, “We set out with the Prophet ﷺ in his last Hajj. Some of us intended to perform ‘Umra while others Hajj. When we reached Makkah, Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, ‘Those who had assumed the Ihram for’Umra and had not brought the Hadi should finish his Ihram and whoever had assumed the Ihram for ‘Umra and brought the Hadi should not finish the Ihram till he has slaughtered his Hadi and whoever had assumed the Ihram for Hajj should complete his Hajj.” ‘Aishah further said, “I got my periods (menses) and kept on menstruating till the day of ‘Arafat, and I had assumed the Ihram for ‘Umra only (Tamattu’). The Prophet ﷺ ordered me to undo and comb my head hair and assume the Ihram for Hajj only and leave the ‘Umra. I did the same till I completed the Hajj. Then the Prophet ﷺ sent ‘Abdur Rahman bin Abi Bakr with me and ordered me to perform ‘Umra from At-Tan’im in lieu of the missed ‘Umra.”

Fatima bint Abi Hubaish used to have bleeding in between the periods, so she asked the Prophet ﷺ about it. He replied, “The bleeding is from a blood vessel and not the menses. So give up the prayers when the (real) menses begin and when it has finished, take a bath and start praying.”

A woman asked ‘Aishah, “Should I offer the prayers that which I did not offer because of menses” ‘Aishah said, “Are you from the Huraura’ (a town in Iraq?) We were with the Prophet ﷺ and used to get our periods but he never ordered us to offer them (the Prayers missed during menses).” ‘Aishah perhaps said, “We did not offer them.”

Um-Salama said, “I got my menses while I was lying with the Prophet ﷺ under a woolen sheet. So I slipped away, took the clothes for menses and put them on. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, ‘Have you got your menses?’ I replied, ‘Yes.’ Then he called me and took me with him under the woolen sheet.” Um Salama further said, “The Prophet ﷺ used to kiss me while he was fasting. The Prophet ﷺ and I used to take the bath of Janaba from a single pot.”

While I was lying with the Prophet ﷺ under a woolen sheet, I got my menses. I slipped away and put on the clothes for menses. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Have you got your menses?” I replied, “Yes.” He called me and I slept with him under the woolen sheet.

Hafsa said, ‘We used to forbid our young women to go out for the two ‘Id prayers. A woman came and stayed at the palace of Bani Khalaf and she narrated about her sister whose husband took part in twelve holy battles along with the Prophet ﷺ and her sister was with her husband in six (out of these twelve). She (the woman’s sister) said, “We used to treat the wounded, look after the patients and once I asked the Prophet ﷺ, ‘Is there any harm for any of us to stay at home if she doesn’t have a veil?’ He said, ‘She should cover herself with the veil of her companion and should participate in the good deeds and in the religious gathering of the Muslims.’ When Um ‘Atiya came I asked her whether she had heard it from the Prophet ﷺ. She replied, “Yes. May my father be sacrificed for him (the Prophet ﷺ)! (Whenever she mentioned the Prophet ﷺ she used to say, ‘May my father be sacrificed for him) I have heard the Prophet ﷺ saying, ‘The unmarried young virgins and the mature girl who stay often screened or the young unmarried virgins who often stay screened and the menstruating women should come out and participate in the good deeds as well as the religious gathering of the faithful believers but the menstruating women should keep away from the Musalla (praying place).’ ” Hafsa asked Um ‘Atiya surprisingly, “Do you say the menstruating women?” She replied, “Doesn’t a menstruating woman attend ‘Arafat (Hajj) and such and such (other deeds)?”

Fatima bint Abi Hubaish asked the Prophet ﷺ, “I got persistent bleeding (in between the periods) and do not become clean. Shall I give up prayers?” He replied, “No, this is from a blood vessel. Give up the prayers only for the days on which you usually get the menses and then take a bath and offer your prayers.”

We never considered yellowish discharge as a thing of importance (as menses).

(the wife of the Prophet ﷺ) Um Habiba got bleeding in between the periods for seven years. She asked Allah’s Messenger ﷺ about it. He ordered her to take a bath (after the termination of actual periods) and added that it was (from) a blood vessel. So she used to take a bath for every prayer.

(the wife of the Prophet ﷺ) I told Allah’s Messenger ﷺ that Safiya bint Huyai had got her menses. He said, “She will probably delay us. Did she perform Tawaf (Al-Ifada) with you?” We replied, “Yes.” On that the Prophet ﷺ told her to depart.

A woman is al lowed to leave (go back home) if she gets menses (after Tawaf-Al-Ifada).

330. Ibn ‘Umar formerly used to say that she should not leave but later on I heard him saying, “She may leave, since Allah’s Messenger ﷺ gave them the permission to leave (after Tawaf-Al-Ifada.”

The Prophet ﷺ said to me, “Give up the prayer when your menses begin and when it has finished, wash the blood off your body (take a bath) and start praying.”

The Prophet ﷺ offered the funeral prayer for the dead body of a woman who died of (during) delivery (i.e. child birth) and he stood by the middle of her body.

(the wife of the Prophet ﷺ) During my menses, I never prayed, but used to sit on the mat beside the mosque of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ. He used to offer the prayer on his sheet and in prostration some of his clothes used to touch me.”