The beginning and the ending of menstrual periods

وَكُنَّ نِسَاءٌ يَبْعَثْنَ إِلَى عَائِشَةَ بِالدُّرْجَةِ فِيهَا الْكُرْسُفُ فِيهِ الصُّفْرَةُ فَتَقُولُ لاَ تَعْجَلْنَ حَتَّى تَرَيْنَ الْقَصَّةَ الْبَيْضَاءَ. تُرِيدُ بِذَلِكَ الطُّهْرَ مِنَ الْحَيْضَةِ. وَبَلَغَ ابْنَةَ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ أَنَّ نِسَاءً يَدْعُونَ بِالْمَصَابِيحِ مِنْ جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ يَنْظُرْنَ إِلَى الطُّهْرِ فَقَالَتْ مَا كَانَ النِّسَاءُ يَصْنَعْنَ هَذَا. وَعَابَتْ عَلَيْهِنَّ.Some women used to send the pads of cotton with traces of yellowish discharge to ‘Aishah رضي الله عنها (for her verdict to know whether they had become clean from menses or not). And ‘Aishah رضي الله عنها would say, “Do not hurry till you see the cotton pad is white (meaning the perfect disappearance of menses).” The daughter of Zaid bin Thabit was told that some women used to ask for candles at midnight to see whether the menses had stopped or not. On that, the daughter of Zaid said that the ladies (the wives of the Prophet’s Companions) had never done so, and she blamed them (the former women).