3/6. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 364 — Istihadah Is Not Menstruation
The Difference Between Menstrual Blood And Istihadah
Hadith About Istihadah Being a Vein, Not Menstruation
Sunan an-Nasai : 364
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 364
أَخْبَرَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ حَبِيبِ بْنِ عَرَبِيٍّ، عَنْ حَمَّادٍ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتِ اسْتُحِيضَتْ فَاطِمَةُ بِنْتُ أَبِي حُبَيْشٍ فَسَأَلَتِ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي أُسْتَحَاضُ فَلاَ أَطْهُرُ أَفَأَدَعُ الصَّلاَةَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّمَا ذَلِكِ عِرْقٌ وَلَيْسَتْ بِالْحِيضَةِ فَإِذَا أَقْبَلَتِ الْحِيضَةُ فَدَعِي الصَّلاَةَ وَإِذَا أَدْبَرَتْ فَاغْسِلِي عَنْكِ الدَّمَ وَتَوَضَّئِي وَصَلِّي فَإِنَّمَا ذَلِكِ عِرْقٌ وَلَيْسَتْ بِالْحَيْضَةِ " . قِيلَ لَهُ فَالْغُسْلُ قَالَ " وَذَلِكَ لاَ يَشُكُّ فِيهِ أَحَدٌ " . قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ قَدْ رَوَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ غَيْرُ وَاحِدٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ فِيهِ " وَتَوَضَّئِي " . غَيْرُ حَمَّادٍ وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَعْلَمُ .
A'isha Narrated from:
Fatimah bint Abi Hubaish suffered from Istihadah and she asked the Prophet (ﷺ): 'O Messenger of Allah, I suffer from Istihadah and I do not become pure; should I stop praying?' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'That is a vein and is not menstruation. When your period comes, stop praying, and when it goes wash the traces of blood from yourself and do Wudu'. That is a vein and is not menstruation.'" It was said to him (one of the narrators): "What about Ghusl?" He said: "No one is in doubt about that."
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 364In-book reference : Book 3, Hadith 16English translation : Vol. 1, Book 3, Hadith 364
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 364
This Hadith about Istihadah records Fatimah bint Abi Hubaish asking whether she should stop praying because she did not become pure. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) answered that the bleeding was a vein and not menstruation. He told her to stop praying when her period comes. When it goes, she should wash the traces of blood from herself, perform Wudu, and pray. The main lesson is that continuous bleeding is not automatically treated as menstruation. The Hadith gives a simple path: recognize the period, stop prayer during it, then clean yourself and return to prayer after it ends. The wording also mentions Ghusl in the narrator discussion, showing that purification is part of the topic.
What we learn from this hadith
- Istihadah is described as a vein, not menstruation.
- Prayer is stopped when the actual period comes.
- After the period ends, washing the blood and Wudu are mentioned.
- Ongoing bleeding should not be confused with the period in this text.
