the onset of bleeding. If this is her usual pattern, then the day on which she experiences this dryness is ruled to be a day of menstruation: she is not required to perform a ritual bath, pray, perform circumambulation of the Ka'bah, or observe i'tikaf, for she remains menstruating until she sees clear purity.

This is supported by the statement of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, to women when they brought her a piece of cotton so that she could see whether or not the woman had become pure. She would say: “Do not be hasty until you see the white discharge” (1)—that is, do not perform a ritual bath or pray until you see the white discharge.

Moreover, obliging her to follow the first view would entail severe hardship, especially during the winter days, while travelling, and in similar circumstances.

This view is closer to what is correct. Thus, a woman’s dryness for twenty hours, twenty-four hours, or something close to that is not considered purity, because this is common among women.

His statement: “So long as it does not exceed its maximum duration,” meaning: so long as their total does not exceed the maximum duration of menstruation. If it does exceed this maximum, then what is beyond fifteen days is irregular bleeding, because the maximum period has become one of blood.

His statement: “A woman suffering from irregular bleeding, and others in similar circumstances”: according to the school, a woman suffering from irregular bleeding is one whose bleeding exceeds the maximum duration of menstruation.

It is also said that a woman suffering from irregular bleeding is one who sees blood that is not fit to be regarded as either menstruation or postnatal bleeding (2).