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Fatwa CenterShe saw blood for 20 days in one month
Question
Salam Alaykum,
I need to ask a question (it is quite sensitive / embarassing) please about menstruation whilst breastfeeding.
I am breastfeeding and experiencing bleeding a good 20days out of every month for the past 2 months, is all this blood from Haid / menstruation or Istihaddah? I am confused because i can't tell difference in the blood and i've read the book ''natural blood of women'' by uthaymeen which says there is a difference either in colour,odor etc of the blood of haid and the blood of istihadah! All i know is that the blood i'm experiencing now is nothing like it was before pregnancy i.e. it comes but in little amounts and it is not continuous, it can disappear for a day or 2 then return however, i am still experiencing the painfullness of what would be haid but only sometimes and in varying degrees.
I know this is a very complex question but i would appreciate it if you could try to advise me according to the quran and sunnah about my situation.
Thank you and i would appreciate your reply as soon as possible as this is affecting my salat etc.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
If any woman has bleeding discharges for more than 20 days, then this is bleeding outside the monthly period and her bleeding is not menses. So, if she has menses at a definite time – which is the most common among women – like six days for example, or seven days or more or less, then she should not perform the prayer during the days of her regular menses, and then she should perform Ghusl (ritual bath) and pray. The evidence for this is that ‘Aa’ishah 
narrated that Umm Habeebah bint Jahsh complained to the Prophet about bleeding, and the Prophet said to her: "You should refrain from the prayer as much as your monthly periods and then perform Ghusl…” [Muslim] Moreover, Faatimah bint Jahsh narrated that the Prophet told her: “Refrain from the prayer for the days during which you usually have menses, and then perform Ghusl and pray.” [Al-Bukhari]
Therefore, if you have regular monthly menses, then you should refrain from the prayer during this period, but if you do not have regular monthly menses in the past and you do not distinguish between the bleeding of menses and the bleeding outside the monthly menses, then you should refrain from the prayer for the period during which most women have menses, like six days or seven days, and then you should perform Ghusl and pray as the Prophet told Hamnah bint Jahsh : “You should observe a six-day menses and then perform Ghusl.” [Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi]
As regards not having blood discharges for two days and then having it, then when the blood discharges stop during the days of a woman’s period, and then she again has blood discharges, then the purity during the regular days of menses is considered as a period of purity according to some jurists whereas some others consider it as menses.
In our view in Islamweb, you may act according to any of the two opinions that we mentioned.
Allaah Knows best.
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