Spotting during fasting has different rulings, and during fasting, one must follow the rules and opinions of religious authorities. Stay with Saed News.
Ramadan (or Ramazan al-Mubarak) is the ninth month of the lunar calendar, during which fasting is obligatory for Muslims. Worship and fasting in Ramadan are considered an integral part of the identity of Muslims worldwide today. However, fasting during this period has specific rulings for women.
The ruling on spotting during Ramadan, according to religious authorities, varies depending on the circumstances of the bleeding or spotting before and after menstruation, and whether it is considered haydh (menstruation) or istihada (non-menstrual bleeding). Women’s bleeding is generally classified into three categories:
Haydh (menstrual bleeding)
Istihada (any spotting or bleeding between two menstrual periods)
Nifas (postpartum bleeding)
If a woman experiencing istihada performs the required ritual baths (ghusl), her fast is valid. (You can also read about ghusl rulings for Ramadan in cases of menstruation and impurity according to Sunni and Shia views.)
The fast of a woman with light istihada (istihada qalila) is valid, and performing ablution (wudu) is not a condition for the validity of her fast. However, for istihada with heavy bleeding (istihada kathira), it is preferred (according to stronger opinion) that she performs daily ghusl for her fast to be valid.
For heavy istihada (istihada kathira), it is advised not to skip performing the ghusl of the night before fasting the next day.
The fast of a woman with istihada who is required to perform ghusl is valid only if she performs the ritual baths required for her daily prayers, and as a precaution, she should perform the ghusl for Maghrib and Isha prayers on the night before the day she intends to fast.
If she does not perform ghusl after Maghrib and Isha but performs it before the pre-dawn prayer (Salat al-Fajr) and completes the ritual baths required for her daytime prayers, her fast is valid.
According to the stronger opinion, for the fast of a woman with istihada to be valid, performing the ghusl required during the day for prayers is necessary, but performing ghusl for night prayers is not required. Thus, if she experiences bleeding before Fajr or Dhuhr and Asr prayers, requiring ghusl (such as moderate or heavy istihada), and does not perform it, her fast becomes invalid.
However, if bleeding begins after Dhuhr or Asr prayers and she does not perform ghusl until sunset, her fast is still valid. It is recommended that she performs the ghusl of the night prayer beforehand, and if she performs ghusl before the dawn prayer or the night prayer, it suffices and her fast is valid according to the stronger opinion.
If bleeding begins after Asr prayer and she does not perform ghusl until sunset, her fast remains valid.
It is obligatory as a precaution for a woman with istihada to try to prevent blood flow as much as possible during fasting hours.
If spotting with blood occurs after the menstrual days but within ten days from the start of menstruation, it is considered haydh (menstrual bleeding). For example, if a woman’s menstruation lasts seven days, and she sees spotting from the eighth to the tenth day, it is treated as haydh.
If spotting continues, she cannot pray; but if it stops, she should use some cotton and if there is no blood inside, she must perform ghusl and pray; her prayer and fast are valid.
If she does not see spotting from dawn to sunset, her fast is valid even if spotting returns afterward.
If spotting continues for more than ten days, the days corresponding to her previous menstruation are considered haydh, and the remaining days are treated as istihada. After the tenth day, she must follow the rulings of istihada for prayers and fasting.
