HAIZ

Q: What does Haiz mean?

A: Haiz is the bleeding that a girl or a woman experiences every month in general.

Q: For how many days can a woman experience Haiz?

A: It is not the same for every woman. Some women experience it for several days while others experience it for few days. It varies from 3 to 10 days. That is, the minimum number of days that a woman can get her Haiz is 3 and the maximum number of days is 10. 

Q: What is the ruling for a woman who has bled for one or two days only?

A: If a woman has bled for one or two days and the bleeding stopped before the completion of 3 days, then, it should be seen that she does not bleed for 15 days or more than 15 days after that, in that case, this bleeding for the duration of one or two days, is not Haiz. For a bleeding to be Haiz, it must continue for at least three days.

Q: What is the ruling for a woman whose bleeding continues for more than 10 days?

A: If it is the first time that she is getting Haiz, then she must consider 10 days as Haiz and the remaining days as Istihaaza. Istihaaza is like a bleeding due to an illness that does not prohibit fasting, performing Salaah and making Tilaawat-e-Qur'aan.

If a woman used to get Haiz for a certain number of days, then the number of days that she used to get Haiz, will be considered as her Haiz. And the remaining days will be Istihaaza. For example, a woman used to get Haiz for 6 days and during a certain month, the bleeding continued for 11 days. In this case, 6 days will be counted as Haiz and the remaining 5 days will be Istihaaza.

Minimum and maximum duration of Haiz

Hazrat 'Abdoullah Bin Mas'ud (Radiyallahu Anhu) says:

"(The duration of) Haiz is 3 days, 4 days, 5 days, 6 days, 7 days, 8 days, 9 days and 10 days. If it exceeds (these days), then the woman will be in the state of Istihaaza." (Sounan Darqoutni)

Note: A bleeding that stops before 3 days and does not resume before 15 days is called Istihaaza. A woman who bleeds in this way is called Moustahaaza.

Hazrat Us'maan Bin Abul 'Aas (Radiyallahu Anhu) says:

"A woman, who is in the state of Haiz and (her bleeding) exceeds 10, is a Moustahaaza."

N.B: According to Al-Baihaqui, the Sanad of this Hadith is passable.

Hazrat Anas (Radiyallahu Anhu) said: 

"The minimum duration of Haiz is 3 days." (Sounan Ad-Darimi)

According to a Hadith of Darqoutni, Hazrat Anas (Radiyallahu Anhu) said:

"The minimum duration of Haiz is 3 days and the maximum duration is 10 days." (Sounan Ad-Daarimi)

N.B: According to different Hadith that have been reported from different Sahaabah-e-Kiraam (Radiyallahu Anhum), the minimum duration of Haiz is 3 days and the maximum duration is 10 days. It is true that there is a certain defect in the Sanad of each Hadith but it is an established principle among scholars of Hadith that a Hadith that is reported by several weak Hadith, overall attains the rank and capacity of a strong and solid Hadith that can be applied.

[English version of "Haiz" – Al Jamiat – Vol.2 No.5]