Question # 606: As-salamu alaykum. Suppose someone earned haram money by, for example, selling drugs and stealing. He wants to stop doing this and sincerely make tawbah. However, he already knows beforehand that afterward he wants to take another job or start his own business where the income is also not halal according to Islam. The work is permitted and legal in the country where he lives, but according to Islamic rules, the income is not halal. Can his tawbah for selling drugs and stealing still be accepted? So, he is genuinely stopping selling drugs and stealing, but he already knows beforehand that he will consciously continue earning haram income through another means afterward.

Assalamu ‘laikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

All praise and thanks are due to Allah (سبحانه و تعالى), and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم).

Dear questioner,

First of all, we implore Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) to help us serve His cause and render our work for His sake.

Shorter Answer: Bleeding that occurs while using contraception is not automatically istihadah (استحاضة, nonmenstrual bleeding). It must first be assessed according to the woman’s established menstrual pattern and, if that pattern has become unclear, the recognized characteristics of the blood. If it is istihadah, she prays after taking the required purification measures, and vaginal intercourse with her husband is permissible. If it is hayd (حيض, menstruation), she does not pray or fast, and vaginal intercourse is prohibited until the bleeding ends and she performs ghusl. (Also refer to Question # 296: Halal (Permissible) Lovemaking)

Long Answer: Islamic law distinguishes between three categories of vaginal bleeding, each of which has different rulings for worship and marital relations. Hayd (حيض) is menstruation. nifaas (نفاس) is bleeding connected to childbirth. Istihadah (استحاضة) is irregular or nonmenstrual bleeding that is not treated as either hayd or nifaas. A woman experiencing istihadah remains under the general rulings of purity: she prays and fasts after taking the required purification measures, and she is lawful for her husband.

Shaykh ʿAbd al ʿAziz ibn Baaz said: “The mustahadhah [woman experiencing istihadah] is one whose bleeding continues without interruption, save for brief intervals; she is required to perform the prayers Allah (swt) has ordained, fast, and remain lawful for her husband, as she is afflicted with this continuous bleeding. However, she must observe the days of her usual menstruation. When the time of her known period arrives… she must observe it as a menstrual period, meaning she does not pray, fast, or engage in marital relations. Once these usual days have passed, she performs ghusl, prays, fasts, and becomes lawful for her husband again (Ahkam al Mustahadah).

Therefore, a wife who experiences bleeding while using contraception should not assume merely because contraception may have contributed to the bleeding that it is automatically istihadah. Contraceptive methods may disrupt a woman’s normal cycle, but a bleeding episode may still be treated as hayd (menstruation) if it occurs during her known menstrual days or, when her usual pattern has become unclear, if it bears the recognized signs of menstrual blood.

  • If the bleeding is hayd, vaginal intercourse is prohibited. She does not pray or fast during those days. When the bleeding ends, she performs ghusl (full ritual bath) and resumes prayer, fasting, and other acts of worship.
  • If the bleeding is istihadah (nonmenstrual or irregular bleeding), prayer remains obligatory. She cleans herself, uses a pad or another reasonable means to contain the blood, and performs the purification required for one who has continuing bleeding. She performs wudu’ after the beginning of each prayer time and then prays. Vaginal intercourse with her husband is permissible.
  • Nifaas (postnatal bleeding) is not relevant unless the bleeding is connected to childbirth.

Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an: They ask you [O Prophet] about menstruation. Say, “Beware of its harm! So keep away, and do not have intercourse with your wives during their monthly cycles until they are purified. When they purify themselves, then you may approach them in the manner specified by Allah. Surely Allah loves those who always turn to Him in repentance and those who purify themselves.” (Soorah al-Baqarah, 2:222) The prohibition in this verse concerns intercourse during ḥayḍ, not every form of vaginal bleeding. Therefore, when bleeding is classified as istihadah rather than hayd, the prohibition does not apply merely because bleeding is present.

Therefore, the essential fiqh question is whether the bleeding is hayd or istihadah. A woman’s own menstrual history is central to that assessment. The ruling may differ according to whether whether she had an established menstrual pattern before the contraceptive related bleeding began and whether the blood can be distinguished by its recognized characteristics.

‘Urwah b. al-Zubair (ra) said, “Fatimah bint Abi Hubaysh came to the Prophet (saws) and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I am a woman who experiences persistent bleeding, and I do not become clean. Shall I give up my prayers?’ The Messenger of Allah (saws) replied, ‘No, that is from a vein, and not menstruation. So when your true period comes, leave off prayer, and when it has passed, wash the blood from yourself and pray.’” Hisham, the sub-narrator, added that his father reported the Prophet (saws) also told her, “Then perform ablution for every prayer, until that time comes again.” (This is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, in the Book of Ablutions, chapter on washing out blood). This hadith shows that mere presence of blood does not automatically make a woman menstruating. A woman should consider her established menstrual pattern and, where needed, the recognizable characteristics of the blood:

  1. Bleeding during her recognized monthly period: If a woman had a known and regular menstrual habit before beginning contraception, she refers first to that established pattern. During the days that are treated as hayd, she does not pray or fast, and vaginal intercourse is not permissible. When those days end, she performs ghusl and resumes prayer. If irregular spotting then continues outside those known days, it is not automatically treated as hayd. For example, if her established period had normally been six days at the beginning of each month, then her baseline practice is to treat those six days as menstruation. Bleeding outside those days is not automatically hayd.
  2. A disrupted cycle with distinguishable menstrual blood: Contraceptive use may cause a woman’s normal pattern of bleeding to become irregular. If her usual schedule can no longer be identified, she considers the recognized characteristics of the blood. The Prophet (saws) described menstrual blood as recognizable dark blood (Narrated by Abu Dawood and An-Nasa’i; graded saheeh by al-Albaani in Sahih an-Nasa’i), Contemporary fiqh guidance also mentions darkness, thickness, a distinctive odor, and symptoms commonly associated with menstruation as relevant indicators. Bleeding that does not bear the characteristics of menstrual blood may be treated as istihadah. This distinction must be made honestly and carefully. It is not a medical diagnosis by itself, and a woman should also seek competent medical care when bleeding is heavy, prolonged, painful, unusual for her, or accompanied by symptoms such as faintness, weakness, fever, or severe pain.
  3. Bleeding outside the ordinary period: Bleeding outside the ordinary period: When bleeding occurs outside a woman’s recognized menstrual days and does not bear the characteristics that would establish it as menstrual blood, it is treated as istihadah rather than her usual menses. In that case, she remains under the rulings of purity: she prays after taking the required purification measures, and marital relations are permissible. However, if contraceptive use has disrupted the cycle so thoroughly that no established menstrual days can be identified, the appearance and qualities of the blood must be considered carefully. It is not correct simply to assume that every episode of contraceptive related bleeding is istihadah.

This mirrors how the Prophet (saws) handled these cases in the first place, teaching Fatimah bint Abi Hubaysh, Hamnah bint Jahsh, and Umm Salamah (ra) each to apply these principles to their own particular circumstances rather than laying down one rule for every woman regardless of her situation.

Further, if the bleeding is judged to be istihadah, prayer remains obligatory. The woman does not stop salah merely because blood continues to appear. ‘Aishah (ra), wife of Prophet (saws), said: Umm Habibah, daughter of Jahsh, sister-in-law of Messenger of Allah (saws) and wife of ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, had a flow of blood for seven years. She asked the Messenger of Allah (saws) about it. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “This is not menstruation but only vein; so you should take a bath and pray” (Sunan Abi Dawood; graded saheeh by Al-Albani).

A woman experiencing continuous istihadah should take reasonable steps to cleanse herself and contain the bleeding before prayer. These steps include the following:

  • She washes away the blood as reasonably possible.
  • She uses a pad, cotton, or another suitable barrier to prevent the blood from spreading.
  • When the time for an obligatory prayer begins, she performs wudu’.
  • She then prays the obligatory prayer and may pray voluntary prayers with that wudu’ during the same prayer time.
  • She does not have to keep replacing a properly secured pad for every prayer if doing so is difficult.

Next, if the bleeding is genuinely istihadah rather than hayd, vaginal intercourse between spouses is permissible. Scholars differed over whether intercourse with a woman experiencing istihadah may be restricted when avoiding it would not create hardship. The stronger view is that it is permissible in all cases [position held by three of the four schools, and by one of the two narrations from Imam Ahmad, and was held by a group of the Salaf and selected by Ibn Hazm al-Zahiri], as women experienced istihadah in the time of the Prophet (saws) and no text prohibits intercourse with them. It was narrated by ‘Ikrimah (freed slave of Ibn ‘Abbas): “She [Hamnah bint Jahsh] was experiencing istihadah, and her husband [Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah] would have relations with her… and Umm Habibah [bint Jahsh] used to experience istihadah, and her husband [‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf] would approach her” (This is reported by Abu Dawood and al-Bayhaqi). Secondly, Ibn ‘Uthaymeen observed that roughly seventeen female companions are known to have experienced istihadah during the Prophet’s (saws) lifetime, and none of them is reported to have been told that her husband should stay away from her; had this been part of the Sacred Law, it would certainly have been conveyed, for the sake of preserving the religion (al-Sharh al-Mumti’)

The Qur’an prohibits intercourse during hayd, which indicates that the ruling should not be extended automatically to every other kind of bleeding (Risaalah fi’l-Dima’ al-Tabee’iyyah li’l-Nisa’ by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen). The prohibition of intercourse in hayd is agreed upon by the jurists. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “Do everything except sexual intercourse.” (Sahih Muslim). It does not mean that a husband must avoid all affection, companionship, or nonintercourse intimacy with his menstruating wife.

In conclusion, the decisive issue is whether the bleeding is hayd or istihadah, not merely whether contraception may have caused it. A woman whose bleeding pattern is prolonged or unclear should keep a record of her customary cycle and consult a qualified Sunni scholar, if need be, for a case specific ruling.

(The above reply is based on the following resources:

  • islamqa.info
  • islamweb.net
  • dorar.net
  • binbaz.org.sa)

Allahu A’lam (Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) knows best) and all Perfections belong to Allah, and all mistakes belong to me alone. May Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) forgive me, Ameen.

Wassalaam