the month, its middle, or its end, we say: she moves on to the second stage, namely distinguishing characteristics. Since she has forgotten her established pattern, it is no longer possible to act upon it, so she refers to distinguishing characteristics.
We ask her: “Does your blood vary?” If she says, “Yes; some of it is black, malodorous, or thick,” we then ask her: “For how many days does this black, malodorous, or thick blood occur?” If she says, for example, that it occurs for five or six days, we tell her: “Treat this blood as menstruation, and when it ends, purify yourself and pray.” But if she says that it occurs for only one day, or for more than fifteen days, then no consideration is given to it, because it is not fit to be deemed menstruation.
If she has no distinguishing characteristics, then she follows the usual menstrual period, like one who knows its time but has forgotten its duration, ...........
His statement, “If she has no distinguishing characteristics, then she follows the usual menstrual period,” means that she has no distinguishing characteristics—for example, her blood does not vary—so she observes the usual menstrual period. An example is a woman whose blood is always black, or always red, and the like.
In this case, we say that she observes the usual menstrual period of six or seven days.
The preponderant view, as we said concerning the woman experiencing menstruation for the first time, is that she refers to her female relatives and generally follows their established pattern from the beginning of the lunar month. We do not say from the first day on which her menstruation began, because she has forgotten her established pattern.
His statement, “like one who knows its time but has forgotten its duration,” means: just as the woman who knows its time but has forgotten its duration observes the usual menstrual period.
That is, the woman who knows its time but has forgotten its duration observes the usual menstrual period and does not refer to distinguishing characteristics.
An example is a woman who says: “My established pattern comes to me on the first day of the month”