Having to Repeat Ghusl

Assalamu’alaikum! I heard that once a woman’s menses stops during Asr time, then she is obliged to pray Asr alongside Dhuhr. Similarly, if her menstruation stops at Isha time, she is obliged to pray Isha alongside Maghrib time. May I confirm the validity of this ruling?

Also, in some of your articles, I would like to clarify what was said on the following:
1. “…if bleeding ends at 2:55 p.m., this gives a 15-minute window, and the prayer must be completed.”
2. “If she is not sure whether her hayd has finished, she can delay her ghusl to the end of the prayer – if there is no further bleeding, she should perform ghusl and pray.”
3. “It’s important for a woman to act on what she is seeing prayer time to prayer time and not based on what she anticipates will happen.”

My concern with this one is, what if the woman is still uncertain as to whether her period has already ended? Because the bleeding is not always continuous, so wouldn’t it be an inconvenience on her part to do ghusl and pray thinking that there is no further bleeding anymore only to see right afterwards that blood starts flowing again? I just find the phrase “when she stops bleeding” too comprehensive. Please, I would be very grateful if you could enlighten me on this because I am very confused.

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Inspirer of truth

Your obligation to pray is based on whether you are pure at the end of a respective prayer time. For example, if a woman stops bleeding during Asr time, she is obligated to pray Asr as she is pure in its end time. However, she would not be obligated to pray Zuhr as she was impure at its end time.

1. “…if bleeding ends at 2:55 p.m., this leaves a 15-minute window, and the prayer must be completed.”

If a woman stops bleeding toward the very end of a prayer time, and there is not sufficient time to take a ritual bath (ghusl) before the prayer time ends, that prayer is not due on her. However, if she has enough time to perform ghusl and attain purity before the prayer time ends, she will be obligated to pray. We use 15 minutes as a general benchmark for the average amount of time needed to perform ghusl.

For further detail, please see the following article: Salat – Menstrual Matters (whitethread.org)

2. “If she is not sure whether her hayd has finished, she can delay her ghusl to the end of the prayer – if there is no further bleeding, she should perform ghusl and pray.”

3. “It’s important for a woman to act on what she is seeing prayer time to prayer time and not based on what she anticipates will happen.”

We encourage women to wait until the end of the prayer time to perform ghusl to be as certain as possible that their menstruation (hayd) has ended. Using a piece of cotton (kursuf) in the end days can help you determine if hayd has ended and eliminate the need for multiple ghusl.

Despite all of this, there may be times a woman sees bleeding/spotting after she has done ghusl. She will need to repeat ghusl to attain purity.

Yes, at times where bleeding is intermittent, it can be an inconvenience to repeat ghusl. Use the suggestions we have given, such as waiting until the end of prayer time or using a kursuf, to better determine the end of hayd. In those situations you have to repeat the ghusl, know that you are rewarded for your effort and difficulty.

The reason it is necessary for a woman to act on what she is seeing from prayer time to prayer time is to ensure that she does not abandon a prayer she is obligated to complete.

And Allah knows best.