Ali ibn Ibrahim narrated from Muhammad ibn Isa, from Yunus, from more than one person: They asked Abu Abdillah عليه السلام about menstruation and the Sunnah regarding its timing. Imam عليه السلام said: "Indeed, the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى established three Sunnahs concerning menstruation, clarifying every ambiguity for those who hear and understand them, leaving no room for anyone to express personal opinions about it." "One of these Sunnahs concerns a menstruating woman who has fixed and known days without any confusion, and then she experiences prolonged bleeding (istihada) where the blood continues to flow. In such a case, if she is aware of her menstrual days and their number, then a woman named Fatima bint Abi Hubaysh experienced prolonged bleeding. She went to Umm Salama and asked the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى (peace be upon him and his family) about it." He صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said: "She should refrain from prayer for the duration of her regular menstruation days." And He صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم added: "This is only a vein (not menstruation)." Then He صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم instructed her: "Perform ghusl (ritual purification), secure herself with a cloth, and continue to pray." Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: "This is the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم for the woman who knows the days of her menstrual cycles and has no confusion about them. Do you not see that He صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم did not ask her how many days her menstruation lasted, nor did He صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم say, 'If it exceeds a certain number of days, then you are in a state of istihada (prolonged bleeding).' Rather, He صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم established fixed days for her, whether they were few or many, as long as she recognized them." "Similarly, my father عليه السلام gave a ruling when asked about a woman experiencing istihada. He said: 'It is merely a disturbance or a trick from Satan. She should refrain from prayer during the days of her menstrual cycle, then perform ghusl (ritual purification) and make ablution (wudu) for each prayer.'" It was asked: "What if the blood continues to flow profusely?" He عليه السلام replied: "Even if it flows like a stream." Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: "This is the explanation of the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى (peace be upon him and his family), and it aligns with it. This is the Sunnah for the woman who knows the days of her menstrual cycles, and she has no fixed time except her specific days, whether they are few or many. As for the Sunnah for the woman who previously had established days but then experienced irregularity due to prolonged bleeding, where her days increased or decreased until she lost count and forgot the timing within the month, her ruling is different. This is because Fatimah bint Abi Hubaysh came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم and said: 'I experience istihada (prolonged bleeding), and I do not become pure.' The Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said: 'That is not menstruation; it is merely a disturbance. When your menstrual period begins, leave off the prayer, and when it ends, wash the blood from yourself and pray.' She used to perform ghusl (ritual purification) for each prayer. She would even sit in a tub belonging to her sister, and the yellowish blood would rise above the water." Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: "Do you not hear how the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى (peace be upon him and his family) commanded this woman differently from the first one? Do you not see that he did not tell her to leave prayer during the days of her menstrual cycles? Instead, he said to her, 'When your menstrual period begins, leave off the prayer, and when it ends, wash and pray.' This clarifies that this woman had confusion about her menstrual days, as she could neither determine their count nor their timing. Do you not hear her saying, "I experience prolonged bleeding (istihada) and do not attain purity"? My father عليه السلام used to say: "She experienced istihada for seven years." In less than this period, doubt and confusion can arise. Therefore, she needed to recognize the start and end of the bleeding and its change in color. This is because the menstrual blood is black and identifiable. If she had known her specific days, she would not have needed to rely on recognizing the color of the blood. The Sunnah regarding menstruation establishes that the yellowish or brownish discharge and what is beyond it during the menstrual days are all considered menstrual blood, whether the blood is black or otherwise. This makes it clear that both a small and large amount of blood during menstrual days are regarded as menstruation, as long as the days are known. However, if the days and their count are unknown, she needs to observe the onset and cessation of the blood and its change in color. Then she should refrain from prayer according to the duration of the bleeding. I do not see that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم instructed her to sit out prayers for a fixed number of days and then consider herself in a state of istihada for any additional days. Similarly, He صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم did not instruct the first woman in that manner. Likewise, my father عليه السلام issued a similar verdict in such cases. A woman from our household experienced istihada and asked my father عليه السلام about it. He عليه السلام said: "When you see the heavy, flowing blood, leave off the prayer. When you see the sign of purity, even if it is for an hour during the day, perform ghusl and pray." Abu Abdullah عليه السلام said: "I see that my father's response here differs from his response regarding the first case of a mustahadah (a woman experiencing irregular bleeding). Don't you see that He عليه السلام said, 'She should abandon prayer during the days of her usual cycles,' because He عليه السلام considered the number of days. However, here He عليه السلام said, 'If you see the heavy, dark blood (referred to as "Bahrani"), then leave the prayer,' and He عليه السلام instructed her in this case to observe the blood - whether it begins, ceases, or changes in appearance." His عليه السلام use of the term 'Bahrani' is similar in meaning to the statement of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم: 'The blood of menstruation is distinguishable.' My father عليه السلام referred to it as 'Bahrani' because of its abundance and color. This is the tradition of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم regarding the case of a woman whose cycle has become irregular to the extent that she no longer recognizes it, and she can only identify it through the appearance of the blood - whether it is few or many days." She said: "It is more severe than that - I bleed profusely." The Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم replied: "Use a cloth to stop the bleeding and regard yourself as menstruating for six or seven days each month, as determined by Allah’s سبحانه وتعالى knowledge. Then, perform ghusl (ritual purification) and fast for twenty-three or twenty-four days. Perform ghusl at dawn, delay the Dhuhr prayer, and hasten the Asr prayer. Perform ghusl again, delay the Maghrib prayer, and hasten the Isha prayer, and perform ghusl once more." Abu Abdullah عليه السلام said: "I see that this ruling differs from what was stated in the first and second cases. That is because her condition is different from theirs. Don’t you see that if her usual menstruation period were fewer than seven days - such as five days or less – He صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم would not have told her to consider herself menstruating for seven days? Otherwise, He صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم would have instructed her to abandon prayers during days when she is not actually menstruating, but rather experiencing irregular bleeding (istihadah). Similarly, if her menstruation had lasted longer than seven days - such as ten days or more – He صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم would not have ordered her to pray while she was still menstruating. What further clarifies this is His صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم statement to her: 'Consider yourself menstruating.' This directive applies only to a woman who is being instructed to follow the rules applicable to menstruating women. Don’t you see that He صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم did not specify any fixed days, nor did he عليه الصلاة والسلام say, 'Regard yourself as menstruating during your usual days.' Instead, what makes this clearer is his phrase: 'as determined by Allah’s سبحانه وتعالى knowledge.'" Because she had no prior fixed days, even though all matters are known in Allah’s سبحانه وتعالى knowledge, it is clear that this woman had no prior menstruation days at all. This is the ruling for a woman who experiences continuous bleeding (istihada) from the first time she sees blood. Her maximum period of menstruation is seven days, and her maximum period of purity is twenty-three days until she establishes fixed days for her cycle. All cases of a woman experiencing istihada revolve around these three rulings. She will always fall under one of these categories: 1. If she has known days, whether few or many, she follows her regular menstruation pattern, and there is no fixed, specified count beyond her usual days. 2. If her days become mixed up, advancing or delaying, and the blood varies in color, then her ruling depends on observing the start and end of her bleeding and the changes in its characteristics. 3. If she had no prior menstruation days and experiences istihada from the first time she sees blood, then her maximum menstruation is seven days, and her purity is twenty-three days. If the bleeding continues for several months, she follows the Prophet’s instructions: she treats herself as menstruating for the same period each month. If the bleeding stops for less than seven days or more than seven, she must perform ghusl (ritual purification) as soon as she sees purity and start praying. She continues this pattern until the next month. If the bleeding stops at the same time in the next month, and this pattern repeats for two or three cycles, she now has established menstruation cycle. From then on, she follows this pattern as her menstruation period and disregards anything outside it. This ruling becomes her standard practice for the future if she continues to experience istihada. The requirement for confirming a fixed menstruation pattern through two or three cycles is based on the saying of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم to the woman who knew her regular menstruation days: "Leave the prayer during the days of your menstruation." We have thus understood that a single menstrual cycle (qur’) was not established as a fixed standard for her, so the instruction was not merely, "Leave the prayer during the days of your menstruation." Instead, she was given a guideline regarding menstrual cycles, with the minimum being two menstruations and upward. If her menstruation days become confused, increasing or decreasing to the extent that she cannot determine a specific pattern or distinguish the color of the blood, she should rely on observing the beginning and end of the bleeding. This becomes her ruling based on the saying of the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى (peace be upon him and his family): "When the menstruation starts, leave the prayer, and when it ends, perform ghusl and pray." It is also based on His صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم saying: "Menstrual blood is black and distinguishable." Similarly, Imam Abu Abdullah عليه السلام stated: "If you see heavy blood (bahrani), then leave the prayer." However, if the situation is not like that, and instead, the blood continues to flow steadily, and she experiences persistent istihada, where the blood remains of a consistent color and condition, then her ruling is the same as that of Hamna when she said: "I experience profuse bleeding." In such a case, the standard is to treat her menstruation as seven days for menstruation and twenty-three days for purity until she establishes a clear cycle.