Azami 1531

Bukhari related it in the Book of Menstruation (326) from Qutayba, who said, Ismail narrated to us, from Ayub, from Muhammad, from Umm Atiya... and she mentioned it. And in Sunan Abu Dawud (307), "We did not count brownish or yellowish discharge after purity as anything." Umm Atiya had given the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ.Based on this, Bukhari titled a chapter, "Chapter on Brownish and Yellowish Discharge Outside the Days of Menstruation." By this he means that during the days of menstruation such discharge counts as menstruation, reconciling this with Ayesha's statement, "Do not hurry until you see the white discharge."Women used to send Ayesha a small container holding a piece of cotton showing traces of yellowish menstrual blood, asking her about prayer, and she would tell them, "Do not hurry until you see the white discharge," meaning by that, purity from menstruation.Malik related it in the Book of Purification (97) from Alqama bin Abu Alqama, from his mother, the freed slave woman of Ayesha, from her. Bukhari also mentioned it in the Book of Menstruation, in the Chapter on the Onset and Departure of Menstruation. In its chain is Alqama's mother, whose name was Marjana. No one has confirmed her reliability, rather Ibn Hibban only mentioned her among the trustworthy narrators, and so the Hafiz said of her, "acceptable," though this assessment was not corroborated, so she would be considered weak in transmission.The "white discharge" (al-qassah al-bayda, with a fatha on the qaf and a doubled sin) refers to a whitish substance resembling lime, meaning that the cotton comes out white and pure, with no trace of yellow mixed into it. This indicates that brownish and yellowish discharge counts as menstruation during the days of menstruation, and as purity during the days of purity.Her statement, "We did not count," means during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, so it carries the status of being directly attributed to him, and Bukhari proceeded on this basis, even though the companion did not explicitly mention the time of the Prophet ﷺ.Her statement, "brownish and yellowish discharge," refers to the fluid a woman sees resembling pus, tinged with yellow. Umm Atiya is Nusaybah bint Kaab, though it is also said she was the daughter of Harith al-Ansariyah. She gave the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ, and used to wash the bodies of deceased women, and she is the one who washed the body of the daughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.The Beginning and End of the Menstrual PeriodAyesha said, "When a girl reaches nine years of age, she is a woman." She also said, "When a woman reaches fifty years of age, she has passed beyond the age of menstruation."The Duration of MenstruationThere is no fixed limit for the duration of menstruation, rather it is determined by each woman's customary pattern. However, the usual duration of menstruation is six or seven days, based on the hadith of Hamna bint Jahsh, which will be mentioned later, where it states, "Menstruate for six or seven days, as Allah Almighty knows best." That applies when a woman cannot distinguish between the two types of blood and does not know her usual pattern. Otherwise, menstrual blood is black and has a foul odor, while the blood of abnormal vaginal bleeding is red, has no odor, and gushes forth from the womb. It may occur during the days of menstruation or during the days of purity, and a woman experiencing this abnormal bleeding is treated under the same rulings as women who are pure.It is stated in a sahih hadith, "It is a kick from Satan," meaning that Satan is the one who stirs up this blood.His statement, "fatahayyadi" (with a doubled ya), means she should be treated according to the ruling governing a menstruating woman.