and prevalent. These three indicators are supported by the Sunnah and sound reasoning. Some jurists have her refrain from prayer for one night, the minimum duration of menstruation. Others have her refrain for its maximum duration, because the presumption is that the bleeding is normal, healthy bleeding. Still others have her follow the menstrual pattern of the women in her family. There is disagreement over whether this ruling applies only to a woman who has forgotten her menstrual pattern, or both to her and to a woman menstruating for the first time.

The soundest view is to consider the indicators established by the Sunnah and disregard all others. As for a woman who can distinguish between the types of blood, she should refrain from prayer for the usual duration of menstruation, as established by the Sunnah. Anyone who declines to classify any of her bleeding as menstruation, instead requiring her to take precautionary measures in every circumstance, has imposed an enormous burden upon her, the like of which the Sharia does not prescribe. This makes worshipping Allah hateful to those who follow His religion, whereas Allah has removed hardship from the Muslims. This is among the very weakest opinions.

The underlying principle is that blood, in terms of its legal ruling, falls into no more than five categories:

Blood that is certainly menstrual, such as regular menstrual blood unaccompanied by non-menstrual bleeding.

Blood that is certainly non-menstrual, such as the blood of a young girl.

Blood that could be either, but is more likely to be menstrual. This is the blood of a woman with an established menstrual pattern