Key points
- Istihaza is bleeding that is neither haiz nor nifas. It does not stop prayer or fasting.
- In the Hanafi school, days decide, not colour: under 3 days, over 10, or before 15 days of purity.
- The blood breaks wudu. If it is continuous through a whole prayer time, the ma'zur rules apply.
What istihaza is
Istihaza (also written istihadha, Urdu استحاضہ) is any vaginal bleeding that does not meet the conditions of haiz or nifas. The Prophet ﷺ described it to Fatimah bint Abi Hubaysh as "a vein, not menstruation", and told her to pray (Bukhari).
How to recognise it
In the Hanafi school istihaza is identified by days and limits, not by how the blood looks. Bleeding is istihaza when:
- it stops before 3 full days;
- it goes beyond 10 days: the days outside your habit are istihaza;
- it starts before 15 days of purity have passed since your last haiz;
- it comes after the 40 days of nifas, or beyond your nifas habit;
- it comes during pregnancy, or before the age of nine lunar years.
Some guides say istihaza is lighter or a different colour. That is the approach of other schools. In the Hanafi school, every colour except pure white is treated as haiz during the days that can be haiz.
Prayer and wudu
Istihaza does not excuse you from prayer. It does break wudu, the same way any blood leaving the body does. So:
- If the bleeding stops long enough to make wudu and pray, make wudu, pray, and renew wudu if it comes again.
- If it continues through an entire prayer time without such a break, you become ma'zur: make one wudu after each prayer time begins and it lasts for that whole time. See the Ma'zur Calculator and the ma'zur guide.
Use a pad and change it as needed; you do not have to keep washing clothes repeatedly if the blood keeps coming.
Fasting, Quran, mosque and intimacy
A woman in istihaza fasts, reads and touches the Quran (with wudu), enters the mosque and may perform tawaf. Intimacy with her husband is permitted.
Worked examples
Example 1. After 20 days of purity, you bleed for 2 days and it stops. That is istihaza: make up any prayers you missed.
Example 2. Habit 6 days. This time you bleed for 14 days. Your 6 habitual days are haiz, and the other 8 are istihaza. Prayers missed in those 8 days are made up.
Example 3. 9 days after your period ended, spotting starts. Fewer than 15 days of purity have passed, so it is istihaza. Keep praying.
This guide is educational and follows mainstream Hanafi positions. For your own situation, please consult a qualified scholar. See the disclaimer, the glossary and how rulings are worked out.