How to make up for missed fasts and prayers due to menstruation

30-3-2023 | IslamWeb

Question:

A 12 year old girl that has had her period for a few months, and the first ramadan on her period. At the beginning of ramadan she has her period and after it peforms ghusl, then notices more and peforms ghusl again. She fasts and notices more in the toilet, but forgets about it and fasts and prays. She only remembers it 2 weeks later and peforms ghusl (2 weeks later). What should she do? Should she make up for that half of ramadan?

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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, is His slave and Messenger.

What is understood from the question is that the girl hastened in making Ghusl before making sure of her purity, and even if she saw the sign of purity and then the blood returned, it is still considered menstrual blood as long as the total number of the days of blood does not exceed fifteen days, as it is the maximum period of menstruation according to the most preponderant view.

Accordingly, she should make up for the days she did not fast due to menses. As for after her purification from menstrual blood, if she had fasted without taking Ghusl, then this does not affect the validity of her fast, so it is valid, and she does not have to make it up. However, not taking Ghusl does affect the validity of her prayers, so she makes up for the prayers of the days that she prayed from the time she became pure before she took Ghusl.

We want to draw your attention to the fact that purification from menses is fulfilled either through total dryness of the blood to the extent that if a woman inserts a piece of cloth or a piece of cotton into her vagina and finds no trace of blood, or yellowish/brownish discharge on it, or by seeing a white discharge after the stoppage of blood, known as Al-Qassah Al-Bayddaa’.

Allah knows best.