1/113. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 288 — Bathing and Prayer During Istihadah
The Narrations That State The Woman With Istihadah Should Perform Ghusl For Every Prayer
Umm Habibah Hadith: Ghusl and Prayer During Prolonged Bleeding
Sunan Abi Dawud : 288
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 288
حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي عَقِيلٍ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ الْمُرَادِيُّ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْحَارِثِ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، وَعَمْرَةَ بِنْتِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّ أُمَّ حَبِيبَةَ بِنْتَ جَحْشٍ خَتَنَةَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَتَحْتَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ اسْتُحِيضَتْ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ فَاسْتَفْتَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّ هَذِهِ لَيْسَتْ بِالْحَيْضَةِ وَلَكِنْ هَذَا عِرْقٌ فَاغْتَسِلِي وَصَلِّي " . قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ فَكَانَتْ تَغْتَسِلُ فِي مِرْكَنٍ فِي حُجْرَةِ أُخْتِهَا زَيْنَبَ بِنْتِ جَحْشٍ حَتَّى تَعْلُوَ حُمْرَةُ الدَّمِ الْمَاءَ .
A'isha Narrated from:
Umm Habibah, daughter of Jahsh, sister-in-law of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and wife of 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Awf, had a flow of blood for seven years. She asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: This is not menstruation but only vein; so you should take a bath and pray. 'Aishah said: She used to take bath in a wash-tub in the apartment of her sister Zainab daughter of Jahsh; the redness of (her) blood dominated the water.
Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 288In-book reference : Book 1, Hadith 288English translation : Book 1, Hadith 288
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 288
This narration again mentions Umm Habibah daughter of Jahsh, who had bleeding for seven years. She asked the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم about it, and he said that it was not menstruation, but a vein. He told her to take a bath and pray. Aishah then described that Umm Habibah used to bathe in a wash-tub in the room of her sister Zainab, and the redness of the blood would dominate the water. The hadith gives a strong picture of how serious the bleeding was, yet the instruction still included prayer after bathing. For anyone searching for prolonged bleeding in Islam, this narration shows that a difficult condition did not remove prayer after the menses ruling was handled.
What we learn from this hadith
- The bleeding lasted a long time, yet it was not treated as menses the whole time.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم described it as a vein, not menstruation.
- Taking a bath and praying are directly mentioned.
- Aishah’s description shows the bleeding was real and heavy.
