Date : 12-11-2014

Question :

Is it permissible for a woman to hasten her menstruation period during Iddah (waiting period), and what is the shortest interval of purity in-between two menstruation periods ?


The Answer :

All perfect praise be to Allah. Blessings and peace be upon Prophet Mohammad.



 According to the majority of the Muslim scholars, it is permissible for a woman, in her waiting period, to take a drug for hastening her menstruation period , and it is also permissible for her to take a drug for delaying it, provided that the drug doesn`t cause health risks since it often leads to irregularity in the period: it either occurs after, or before its regular time.



It was stated in “ Moghni Al-Mohtajj “ by Al-Khatib Ash-Shafie` (May Allah bless his soul): “ A woman`s Iddah is three complete Quroo` {Plural of Qar`, i.e. menstrual period}, including those induced by a drug, and no prayer is due on her during menstruation.



” In his” Hashiyah Ala Ad-Drr Al-Mokhtaar,” Ibn Abdeen quoted from the book” As-Sirajj “ what follows: “ Some of the scholars were asked about a nursing woman not seeing menstrual blood, thus she took a drug until she saw yellowish discharge during her menstrual days. He said: it is a menstruation with which her Iddah ends.



” In “ Matalib Auli-Nnohaa “, a Hanbali book, it was stated: “ It is permissible for her to take a drug to induce menstruation since, in principle, it is legal unless there is a proof that it isn`t, and there isn`t, so her Iddah ends by the drug-induced menstruation.”



However, if she took that drug, her menstruation is considered valid once it meets the conditions of Sharia in this regard. Some of the key conditions are: A minimum of fifteen days must lapse over the end of her last period, according to the Shafite school of jurisprudence, and that the total of the coming blood and discharges equals the minimum of the menstrual period i.e. a day and a night.



Nevertheless, we recommend not taking that drug, and leave things as they are, so as to ward off harm, particularly since some of the Shafite scholars are of the view that it is impermissible to end Iddah by taking a drug that induces menstruation prior to its due time.



 In conclusion, she either takes the drug… so as to hasten the menstrual period before its regular time, which is the case where the preponderant opinion of Al-Menoofi is that it isn`t menstrual blood and that the woman is pure.” The updated Jordanian Personal Status Law has determined that the minimum period in which a woman observing Iddah can claim that she had completed three menstrual periods is sixty days. Article(100) reads: “ In case of dispute between them regarding taking her back during her Iddah, and she, in menstrual Iddah, claimed that her waiting period had ended in a reasonable interval  (60 days as a minimum) which the husband claimed that it hadn`t, her word outweighs his, provided that she swears an oath that her period had ended after sixty days from divorce.” And Allah knows best.