I did not know the ruling on the discharges that women experience, and I used to offer more than one prayer with one wudoo’ before I got married. What should I do, knowing that this went on for several years?
I do not remember whether that happened to me or not, but now I have discharges most of the time, and it is very difficult for me when I am travelling. If I am in the Haram and I do wudoo’ and do not feel anything, am I still in a state of purity? If I see anything after I come out, do I have to do anything?
Praise be to Allah
These discharges and secretions that women experience are
described by the scholars as moisture of the private part. They are light
secretions that a woman may not feel, and women vary in the amount of
discharge.
The most correct view is that they are taahir (pure), because
there is no evidence to indicate that this moisture is najis (impure).
Based on that, it is not required to wash off whatever of
that discharge gets onto the body or clothes.
See the answer to question no. 44980
With regard to the ruling on whether it invalidates wudoo’:
Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) was of the view that
this moisture does not invalidate wudoo’.
However the majority are of the view that they do invalidate
wudoo’, unless they are continual, in which case she should do wudoo’ for
each prayer when the time for it begins, then it will not matter if there is
any secretion of moisture after that. The ruling on the woman who
experiences that is the same as the ruling on those who have excuses, such
as one who is suffering urinary incontinence or istihaadah (irregular,
non-menstrual vaginal bleeding) and the like.
Some of the scholars are of the view that the one who is
affected by ongoing invalidation of wudoo’ is not required to do wudoo’ for
each prayer, unless it is invalidated by something other than the issue that
is ongoing in his case. Apart from that, it is mustahabb for him to do
wudoo’ but it is not obligatory for him. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said: Wudoo’ in
this case, according to Maalik, is mustahabb (encouraged) but not
obligatory.
He said: Among those who said that wudoo’ is not obligatory
for the woman who is suffering istihaadah were: Rabee‘ah, ‘Ikrimah, Maalik,
Ayyoob and a number of others.
See: at-Tamheed, 16/98; Fath al-Baari by Ibn
Rajab, 2/73
This view is the one that Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah
have mercy on him) settled on.
See: ash-Sharh al-Mumti‘ ‘ala Zaad al-Mustaqni‘,
1/503
Even if we assume that it does invalidate wudoo’, according
to some scholars, if you were unaware that these discharges invalidate
wudoo’ and you offered a number of prayers with one wudoo’, you do not have
to repeat what is past, according to the more correct opinion, because you
are excused, as you did not know.
See also the answer to question no.
102504
But in the future, it is better for you to do wudoo’ for each
prayer, so as to avoid an area where there is a difference of scholarly
opinion. One should try to be on the safe side in such cases, because
according to the view that wudoo’ is required, acts of worship are rendered
invalid if that is not done. Even those scholars who did not say that it is
obligatory stated that it is mustahabb (encouraged).
And Allah knows best.
