A questioner says: A woman’s menstrual period has extended by two days beyond her usual cycle. What is the ruling for this woman regarding these two days?

The questioner : A woman’s menstrual period has extended by two days beyond the days she used to menstruate. What is the ruling for this woman regarding these two days?

The Shaykh : First, it must be known that menstruation is a natural blood that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) creates in a woman if she is capable of pregnancy, because the fetus is nourished by this blood in its mother’s womb. For this reason, a pregnant woman does not menstruate, because the blood is directed by Allah’s permission to the fetus to nourish it. Since the blood is a natural substance, Allah described this blood as a harm because it is ritually impure. Therefore, whenever the blood of menstruation is present, its ruling remains in effect, even if it exceeds the usual duration. If a woman’s usual period is six days and it extends by two days, the two extra days follow the six days. This means she must remain in a state of menstruation: she does not fast, she does not pray, and her husband does not have intercourse with her. This is because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) did not specify a fixed time for menstruation, and the Sunnah likewise did not specify a fixed time for menstruation. As long as the menstruation continues, it is menstruation, and its rulings apply. When she becomes pure from it, the rulings of menstruation are lifted, whether it exceeded the usual duration or not. A similar case is if a woman with post-natal bleeding becomes pure before the full duration of post-natal bleeding has passed. Does she pray or wait? She prays because she has become pure from the post-natal bleeding. Does she fast or not? She fasts if it is Ramadan. Does her husband have intercourse with her or not? Her husband has intercourse with her without it being disliked, because whenever prayer is permissible—and prayer is greater than intercourse—intercourse is all the more permissible. Yes.