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Brownish discharge after menstruation

Question

Assalaamu alaykum. I am really confused about my period. I normally see a brownish discharge the first 1-2 days of my menstruation; then, for 4-5 days, I see blood. On the 6th, 7th, 8th days, I see a small amount of (thick) brownish color on my pad every few hours, but it does not soak my pad and only stays on the surface. On the 9th and 10th days (and sometimes on the 11th), I do not see any color on my pad, but every time after urinating, when I wipe with a tissue, I see 3 or 4 brownish dots (like the size of sugar, which you can barely see without looking closely). For example, when I wipe with a tissue after urinating in the morning after the Fajr, I will see a few brownish dots, and then I will be dry the whole day, and then the next time I urinate, after the Maghrib, I will see a few brownish dots too. Should I consider myself dry when this happens given that I am dry the whole day and see the dots only after urinating and knowing that the dots are so small? After this ends, I normally see a white discharge, which normally starts on the 12th day. I heard of using Kusuf to judge the end of menstruation. After placing the Kusuf, how long should I wait to check for discharge to be sure that my menstration has ended? Should I check it right away? If I see a brownish discharge when I expect my period to start, should I include these days in my menstruation cycle and stop praying? Even if the discharge continues for a week before the actual bleeding starts? I am confused as to how many of these days I should include in my period? What should a Hanafi women do in this condition? Please advise me regarding my specific condition. May Allah reward you.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

The fatwa that we give is that the brownish discharge that you see when you are expecting your period is not menstruation. The beginning of your menstruation is when you see real blood. As for the brownish discharge after menstruation, then what is connected to menses blood (discharged after it without interruption) is considered menstruation.

If you see dryness, then you should perform Ghusl (ritual bath) and pray, and then do not worry about the brownish discharge that you see and do not consider it as menstruation.

This view is the best procedure for you and the easiest, and we advice you to follow it, because a layman imitates the scholar whom he trusts, and he is not obliged to adhere to a particular School of Fiqh.

This is the view that we consider to be the preponderant one from the sayings of the scholars.

As for the dryness, it is when a woman inserts a piece of cotton and it comes out clean without any trace of blood or yellowish or brownish discharge. She only needs to insert it into the place that is visible when she sits down to relieve herself (not deeper). So if she inserts the white cotton into this place once and it comes out clean, then it is ruled that she has become pure from menstruation by this, and it becomes obligatory upon her to perform Ghusl. If she discharges blood again, then she is considered to be menstruatingagain . If she sees a yellowish or brownish discharge after that, she does not pay any attention to it and does not consider it as menstruation.

Allah knows best.

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