Ahmad and others relied in arguing that a woman experiencing non-menstrual bleeding who can distinguish between the types of blood should refrain from prayer for six or seven days, the usual duration of menstruation.

Three teachings have been transmitted from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, concerning women experiencing non-menstrual bleeding: one concerns the usual menstrual pattern, as discussed above; another concerns a woman who can distinguish between the types of blood, namely his statement:

“Menstrual blood is black and recognizable.”

The third concerns the usual duration of menstruation, namely his statement:

“Treat six or seven days as your menstrual period, then bathe and pray for twenty-three or twenty-four days, just as women menstruate and become pure according to their regular times of menstruation and purity.”

Scholars disagree concerning non-menstrual bleeding, for it is a difficult matter: menstrual blood can be confused with non-menstrual blood, so there must be a criterion distinguishing the two.

Six indicators have been proposed:

One is the usual menstrual pattern, which is the strongest indicator, because the presumption is that menstruation, rather than other bleeding, persists during that period. Another is distinguishing between the types of blood, since black, thick, foul-smelling blood is more likely to be menstrual than red blood. Another is considering the usual menstrual pattern of most women, for the basic principle is to treat an individual case according to what is most general