discharged, and she attained puberty through the discharge that preceded the pregnancy.

Also excepted is the period of īlāʾ, which is when a man swears to refrain from intercourse with his wife, either without qualification or for a period exceeding four months. For example, he may say, “By Allah, I will not have intercourse with my wife,” or, “By Allah, I will not have intercourse with my wife until the Dajjal emerges.”

In such a case, four months are counted against him. If he retracts his oath and has intercourse, he must offer expiation for his oath. But if he refuses, then, once the period has elapsed, he is told: “Retract your oath or divorce.”

If he says that his wife menstruates for ten days every month, leaving forty days of the īlāʾ period, and asks for those days to be deducted from the īlāʾ period, he is told: “The days of menstruation are not deducted from your period; rather, they are counted against you.”

As for postnatal bleeding, its duration is not counted against the one who has taken an oath of īlāʾ. For example, if he swears not to have intercourse with his wife while she is in the ninth month of pregnancy, he is given four months. If his wife gives birth and four months have passed from the term we set for him, we say: “Divorce her or have intercourse with her.” If he says, “My wife remained in postnatal bleeding for forty days, and I want those days deducted from my period,” then we deduct them for him and grant him an additional forty days. If she remained in postnatal bleeding for sixty days, we grant him an additional sixty days.

This is a difference between menstruation and postnatal bleeding. The reason for the difference, as the scholars have said (1), is that menstruation is a regular occurrence, and Allah Most High has assigned this husband