months. A partially emancipated slave woman adds to eleven months in proportion to the degree of freedom she possesses, and any fraction is rounded up according to what has preceded.

Suppose that a woman does this and observes a waiting period of one year, then menstruates after the year has been completed. Does she revert to counting by menstruation? The answer is: No, because her waiting period has ended. But if menstruation returns before the completion of the year, she begins anew on that basis and observes a waiting period of three menstrual cycles.

Thus, the woman whose menses have ceased observes a waiting period of one year. If her menses return before the completion of the year, she observes the waiting period on that basis; but if the year is completed, she pays no attention to their return, even if they do return, because her waiting period has ended and she has become irrevocably separated from her husband.

His words, “The waiting period of one who has reached puberty but has not menstruated”: the waiting period of a woman who has reached puberty but has not menstruated is three months, owing to the general import of Allah’s statement: “and those who have not menstruated” [al-Talaq 65:4]. This is general in application. Thus, even if this woman were assumed to be thirty years old and had never menstruated, she would observe a waiting period of three months. But if she were eight years old and her husband separated from her, then she would have no waiting period, because she is not yet of an age at which a woman may ordinarily be consummated with.

His words, “the woman with irregular bleeding who has forgotten”: that is, her waiting period is three months. A woman with irregular bleeding is one whose bleeding is continuous, or ceases only briefly. This is why it is not said that she menstruates, but rather that she has irregular bleeding, because the prefixes sin and ta denote intensification and increase. Thus, the menstrual bleeding—namely, the flow of blood—has increased and persisted in her case. For this reason, it is termed irregular bleeding, due to the abundance of blood and its prolonged duration. Irregular bleeding is an illness among illnesses, though it occurs frequently among women. As the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “It is a vein” (1), and “a stroke from Satan” (2). He said—