The numbers (1 day min / 15 days max / 6–7 usual, 15-day minimum purity) and the ḥayḍ vs istiḥāḍah distinction carry this lesson. The two handout rulings are likely short answers.
1 · Menstruation (Ḥayḍ) الحيض
Meaning: linguistically "flowing"; in the Sharʿ, natural blood from the innermost womb after puberty, in health, at known times. It necessitates ghusl.
Signs of puberty (bulūgh)
- Nocturnal emission (iḥtilām) — male & female.
- Menstruation — for females.
- Otherwise, completing 15 lunar years. (Emission/menses can begin after completing 9 lunar years.)
Durations
- Minimum: 1 day & night.
- Maximum: 15 days & nights.
- Common (usual): 6 or 7 days.
- Purity (ṭuhr) between cycles: minimum 15 days; no maximum (may go a year or more).
2 · Istiḥāḍah & the three bloods
- Istiḥāḍah (irregular bleeding): blood seen for less than the minimum (under 1 day & night) or more than the maximum (over 15 days). It is illness-blood from a vein (al-ʿādhil).
- Istiḥāḍah invalidates wudū but does NOT require ghusl and does NOT prevent prayer or fasting. She washes, binds the area, makes wudū for each obligatory prayer, then prays.
- Distinguishing ḥayḍ from istiḥāḍah: by colour and intensity — menstrual blood is dark and thick/recognisable.
| Blood | What it is | Ghusl? | Stops prayer/fasting? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ḥayḍ | Monthly natural blood (1–15 days) | Yes, when it ends | Yes |
| Istiḥāḍah | Illness blood, outside ḥayḍ limits | No | No (wudū per prayer) |
| Nifās | Postnatal (childbirth) bleeding | Yes (a cause of obligatory ghusl) | Yes |
Scope note: the course lists nifās as a cause of obligatory ghusl and treats it like ḥayḍ, but the handout does not give specific nifās day-counts — so don't quote a nifās maximum.
3 · What is prohibited during Ḥayḍ
- Prayer — and she does NOT make up missed prayers.
- Reciting the Qurʾān, touching or carrying the muṣḥaf.
- Staying in the mosque (passing through is allowed if no fear of soiling it).
- Ṭawāf around the Kaʿbah.
- Fasting — and she MUST make up the missed fasts (qaḍāʾ).
- Intercourse and direct contact between the navel and the knees.
Memory hook: fasts are made up, prayers are not. Once the menses ends, fasting becomes obligatory even before ghusl (but she cannot pray until she does ghusl).
4 · Two special handout rulings
Cat hair
- Majority (Ḥanafī, Mālikī, Ḥanbalī): cat hair is pure — whether attached or fallen off while the cat is alive (the cat itself is pure: "It is not impure; it is one of those that move among you").
- Shāfiʿī: detached cat hair is impure if it separates while the cat is alive ("whatever is cut from a living creature is dead"); the cat's body is pure during life, but they recommend avoiding the detached hair.
- Preferred view: the majority — pure in all cases (ease, and the explicit hadith).
Covering the head when entering the toilet
- No authentic hadith from the Prophet ﷺ establishes it (the narrations are weak).
- Authentically reported from the Salaf — Abū Bakr covered his head out of modesty.
- Some scholars (al-Nawawī, al-Ghazālī, etc.) called it a recommended etiquette (mustaḥabb).
- Not obligatory — no sin or dislike on whoever leaves it; a praiseworthy adab of modesty for whoever does it.
Lock the ḥayḍ numbers first — every one is a one-mark gift on the paper.
Ḥayḍ numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum ḥayḍ | 1 day & night |
| Maximum ḥayḍ | 15 days & nights |
| Usual ḥayḍ | 6 or 7 days |
| Minimum purity (ṭuhr) between cycles | 15 days |
| Maximum purity | No limit |
| Puberty by age (if no other sign) | 15 lunar years (earliest signs after 9) |
Ḥayḍ vs Istiḥāḍah vs Nifās
| Ḥayḍ | Istiḥāḍah | Nifās | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature | Monthly natural | Illness (a vein) | Childbirth |
| Requires ghusl? | Yes | No | Yes |
| Stops prayer/fasting? | Yes | No — wudū each prayer | Yes |
| Tell apart by | Colour & intensity (ḥayḍ = dark, thick); <1 day or >15 days = istiḥāḍah | ||
Forbidden in Ḥayḍ & the make-up rule
- Prayer — not made up. · Fasting — must be made up.
- Reciting / touching / carrying the muṣḥaf.
- Staying in the mosque (passing through OK). · Ṭawāf.
- Intercourse & contact between the navel and the knees.
Handout rulings
| Ruling | Bottom line |
|---|---|
| Cat hair | Majority (Ḥanafī/Mālikī/Ḥanbalī): pure always · Shāfiʿī: impure if detached while alive · preferred = pure |
| Covering head in toilet | No authentic hadith; recommended adab (mustaḥabb) per some scholars; not obligatory |