120 – Umm ʿAṭiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “We would not count the brownish or yellowish discharge that appears after the end of menstruation as anything (of consequence).” Narrated by al-Bukhari and by Abū Dāwūd—the latter’s wording is quoted here (1).

Vocabulary of the ḥadith
• al-kudrah: a dark reddish-brown discharge that tends toward black; plural akdar.
• al-ṣufrah: a pale, yellow-tinged red discharge resembling the color of gold.
• “anything”: i.e., we did not regard it as menstrual blood that would oblige a woman to refrain from prayer and similar acts of worship.
• ṭuhr: the cessation of menstrual bleeding.

Points derived from the ḥadith

1. Any fluid that emerges from a woman after the end of her menses is not treated as menstruation, even if it contains brownish or yellowish traces picked up from the blood.
2. If such brownish or yellowish discharge occurs during the actual days of her period, it is treated as menstruation, because it is blood appearing within its appointed time, although mixed with moisture.
3. This ḥadith, and others like it, is considered marfūʿ (traced back to the Prophet), for the female Companion is reporting the practice of the women of the Companions during the Prophet’s lifetime and his tacit approval of it.