I was recently diagnosed with a medical condition and as a result I was put on medication that will help regulate my menstrual cycle.  The issue is that before and after my menstrual cycle, I would get spotting.  Sometimes is it very visible discharge and others it is just very light spotting.  My question is since this spotting issue comes and goes and it varies; it is not always before or after my menstrual cycle when can I pray?  Am I still allowed to touch the Quran? Am I not suppose to pray?

All praise be to Allah and may His blessings and peace be on His last messenger, Muhammad,

The issues of hayd (menstruation) are controversial, and I will attempt to give you the stronger answer in my own judgment.

Hayd is the natural flow of blood from the womb occurring approximately monthly in post-menarcheal women.

If the bleeding exceeds the longest duration of hayd, it is considered Istihadah, which is irregular vaginal bleeding.

It appears from the above that we need to first determine the longest duration of hayd. This is widely controversial, and the Hanafi position of ten days seems to be the strongest.

Then, based on our selection of the Hanafi position here, if your bleeding lasts more than ten days, you will not consider it hayd. (Post partum bleeding is different and may last up to sixty days.)

If a woman had regular periods, and then they became irregular and exceeded the longest duration of hayd, or if she was never regular and now her periods are longer than the longest hayd duration, she will belong to one of the following three categories:

1. She knows the difference between the menstrual and non-menstrual bloods.
2. She can’t distinguish the two types from each other, nor can an expert do that, but she remembers her previous habit.
3. She can neither sort the two types of blood out (or they happened to be one type), nor can she remember her previous habit (or she didn’t have one).

If she knows the difference between the menstrual blood, which is:

1. black [dark red] in color
2. thick and heavy in consistency
3. with a distinct smell
4. and doesn’t clot,

she will consider that bleeding her hayd and the other type, which is lighter and thinner, her period of tuhr (purity), which should not be less than fifteen days according to the stronger position, which is the majority position as well.

This is because when Fatimah bint Abi Hubaish had a prolonged flow of blood, the Prophet told her,

«إِنَّ دَمَ الْحَيْضِ دَمٌ أَسْوَدُ يُعْرَفُ، فَإِذَا كَانَ ذَلِكَ فَأَمْسِكِي عَنْ الصَّلاةِ وَإِذَا كَانَ الآخَرُ فَتَوَضَّئِي وَصَلِّي، فإنما ذَلِك عِرْقٌ ».

“If it is the blood of menstruation, it will be dark and recognizable. If it is that, then leave the prayer. If it is other than that, then make ablution and pray, for it is only due to a vein.”

[Al-Nasa’ee]

If she can’t distinguish the two types from each other, nor can an expert do that, then she will try to depend on her previous habit, and avoid praying and fasting of every month the days she used to have hayd, and then resume her acts of worship.

This is because ‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (pbuh), said: Umm Habiba bint Jahsh complained to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) about excessive bleeding. He said to her:

«دَعِي الصَّلاةَ قَدْرَ الأَيَّامِ الَّتِي كُنْتِ تَحِيضِينَ فِيهَا ثُمَّ اغْتَسِلِي وَصَلِّي»

“Remain away from prayer equal to the length of time that your menstruation holds you back.  After this, bathe yourself and pray.”  [Bukhari]

Note: the Hanbali position gives precedence to the habit over the ability of distinction. The position mentioned here is the Shafe’ee one.

• If she can neither sort the two types of blood out (or they happened to be one type), nor can she remember her previous habit (or she didn’t have one), then she may consider her bleeding as hayd for six to seven days, and fast and pray for the rest of the month.

This is because the Prophet r said to Hamnah bint Jahsh:

«فَتَحَيَّضِي سِتَّةَ أَيَّامٍ أَوْ سَبْعَةَ أَيَّامٍ فِي عِلْمِ اللهِ ثُمَّ اغْتَسِلِي حَتَّى إِذَا رَأَيْتِ أَنَّكِ قَدْ طَهُرْتِ ‏ ‏وَاسْتَنْقَأْتِ ‏ ‏فَصَلِّي ثَلاثًا وَعِشْرِينَ لَيْلَةً أَوْ أَرْبَعًا وَعِشْرِينَ لَيْلَةً وَأَيَّامَهَا وَصُومِي، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ ‏ ‏يُجْزِيكِ وَكَذَلِكَ فَافْعَلِي فِي كلِّ شَهْرٍ كَمَا تَحِيضُ النِّسَاءُ وَكَمَا يَطْهُرْنَ مِيقَاتُ حَيْضِهِنَّ وَطُهْرِهِنَّ»

“Observe your menses for six or seven days, Allah alone knows which it should be; then wash. And when you see that you are purified and quite clean, pray for twenty three or twenty four days and nights and fast, for that will be enough for you, and do so every month, just as women menstruate and are purified at the time of their menstruation and their purification.” [Abu Dawood]

It is the Hanbali position to consider the customary period for women as indicated in this hadeeth. Others don’t consider it, but the hadeeth is on the Hanbali side here.

In summary, if you have dark thick blood for a certain number of days, and then it changes, your hayd is only during the time of that dark and thick blood. If you can’t tell the difference between the bloods, go back to your habit, and consider your hayd to be four, five or six days according to your previous habit. If you had no habit, then consider your hayd to be six or seven days and the rest of the bleeding will be istihadah. During the time of istihadah, you can fast and pray, however with a fresh wudu’ for every obligatory prayer and its attached sunnah prayers. You may also have all forms of conjugal relations with your husband during the time of istihadah.

If you decided to consider your period 8 days because that was your previous habit, then you start the count from the time your period used to start, let us say Ramadan fourth, and by the end of the 8 days, which will be Ramadan 12^th, you will consider yourself having irregular bleeding (istihadah) until the same start day of the next lunar calendar month, which will be Shawwaal fourth. During that time, apply the rules of istihadah mentioned here above. As for your 8 days of hayd, from Ramadan fourth to twelfth, if they are interrupted by periods of purity, then consider yourself in the interim pure and pray and fast and do like women do during the time of purity. This means you may fast Ramadan 6^th if you were pure from dawn to sun down, and you will not need to make up the fast later. Although the combination of rulings mentioned in this last paragraph would be a minority position, it seems to be the stronger one.

Allah knows best.