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Fatwa CenterExemption from prayers during menses by Hanafis
Question
How many days is a female exempted from prayers during her menstrual cycle according to the Hanafi school?
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
The shortest period of menstruation according to the Hanafi school of thought is 3 days and 3 nights. This is reported from Abu Hanifah.
It is also said that the shortest period is 3 days and 2 nights. This is the narration of Al-Hassan from Abu Hanifa. However, Abu Yousef is of the view that the shortest period is 2 days and the longest period is 10 days, as reported in Al-Mabsut authored by Sarkhassi 3/184, and what is mentioned in the footnotes of Ibn Abbidin 1/284, and the Majama' Al-Anhar 1/277, all of which are Hanafi books.
Therefore, a woman does not have to pray during the days of menstruation, on the condition that this period does not exceed 10 days. If the period exceeds 10 days then she is considered as the woman who has prolonged flow of bleeding. So, she has to make Ghusl and pray, fast or do any other act of worship. She is also not considered as being in menstruation if the period of bleeding is less than 3 days, and the ruling of a woman in menstruation does not apply to her.
Allah knows best.
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