Regular vaginal discharge has left many sisters confused as to whether:
a) It is Najis (impure) therefore requiring her to wash off undergarments and legs,
b) It breaks one’s Wudhu or not.
Many
sisters turn to one of the commonly known website: Islamqa, to find
answers about this embarrassing and complicated topic. Many of them then
pass along the answers based on the Fatawa posted on the site. To
summarize the info on Islamqa states that feminine discharge has been
classified into the same categories as the discharge of males, i.e.
words from Islamqa Fatwa:
“The
water (secretions) of a woman fall into the same categories as water
secreted by a man; so maniy [semen; fluid emitted at the point of
climax], madhiy [a fluid which is usually secreted as a result of sexual
excitement] and wadhiy [a thick, white fluid which may come after
urination or due to other reasons such as illness] are all secreted by
her.”
It seems like Wadhiy
is what is considered a normal vaginal discharge, but, it is also
assumed in some of the answers, that the vaginal discharge, other than
sexual excitement, is only secreted on specific occasion like after
urination or due to a disease.
In
another Fatwa there is specific distinction based on color and
secretion. However, in this Fatwa the Wadhiy or the regular discharge
which is named “moisture,” is not to be washed off the garments but it breaks Wudhu.
After
reading these sets of Fatawa, we felt more bewildered than educated on
this matter. In our humble opinion, male scholars, no matter how much
they research about this subject, cannot fully comprehend the complexity
of the situation since they don’t experience it themselves. And as much
as we respect the Shayoukh for the sake of Allah on Islamqa, we must
respectfully suggest that certain issues need to be taken under
consideration before classifying vaginal discharge as a cause of
breaking the Wudhu.
First of all, let it be known that all women have vaginal discharge throughout the day. Some have more, some have less; some women always have white discharge and some have yellowish. Additionally, this also varies based on many factors, like age, hormonal changes, marital status, birth control, pregnancy, stress, psychological tension, physical fatigue, ovulation, etc. It would not be incorrect to state that anything and everything not only affects the amount secreted but even the color of it.
This information has been verified by different Gynecologists, one of them answered regarding vaginal discharge:
5.
In addition to the entire dilemma above, some sisters mentioned yet
another predicament with regard to above rulings. What happens when
females are at Hajj or Umrah? People are told to eat and drink less
especially during hajj so they can maintain their Wudhu
for longer periods of time. How practical, during Hajj, is the
implication of the ruling that regular vaginal discharge breaks Wudhu!
What can the majority of the women do to keep away from a discharge
that is secreted from their body REGULARLY and is out of their control?
Especially during Hajj, a time when everyone is physically fatigued.
During such fatigue, a woman’s body is prone to increase its vaginal
discharge, and can even change its color and texture based on the level
of stress. Then how can it be expected of a woman to maintain her Wudhu for longer periods of time, unless what is considered by some scholars a cause of breaking the Wudhu, is actually not a cause to break the Wudhu at all.
Because of these factors, this predicament has left many Muslim women frustrated. Many sisters still struggle with distinguishing between the color of what marks the beginning and the end of their menstrual cycle, let alone knowing the different color/texture of daily vaginal discharge. Women of all ages, from young girls to older aunties, of various ethnicities, have discussed the dilemma of the inconsistency of the color of the discharge before and after menstruation. It is simply impossible to distinguish the color on a daily basis especially with such a sensitive situation where the prayer can be nullified based on the wrong judgment.
That is why we fear that digging too much into the color and texture is inviting complications upon ourselves, similar to how it was invited by inquiring too much about the color and texture of the cow. For many of us, this issue has raised more questions than answers. And that makes us think, and Allah knows best, that there must be a reason why there is:
1. Lack of Textual Proof: There is no textual proof from the Quraan and Sunnah at all to make regular vaginal discharge of a Muslim woman a cause of breaking Wudhu. If it was a cause then it would have been explicitly mentioned in at least one narration. It is interesting that there are many narrations explicitly mentioning a number of things breaking the Wudhu, however, regular vaginal discharge has never been mentioned in any one of them.
2. Lack of Questions from the Women of Ansar: We always read about the enthusiasm of the women of the Ansar for learning their religion. It is narrated that Ayesha (ra) said: “How excellent are the women of the Ansar, shyness/modesty does not prevent them from understanding the religion.” [Bukhari]
They would not leave matters in confusion, but would rather find a concrete answer even if it required sending their pads to the Prophet (saws) to find out if their cycle had ended or not. Is it then logical that they would not specifically question about their regular vaginal secretion?
UNLESS, the discharge was considered so normal and regular that it was obvious that it did not break the Wudhu. Perhaps, this situation was similar to the saliva in one’s mouth and how swallowing it while Fasting does not invalidate one’s Fast. But we don’t find any explicit text explaining it neither do we find any companion questioning the Prophet (saws) about it. Maybe because it was common sense and obvious and that’s why no one ever brought up this issue, Allahu a'laam.
It may have been the same reason why no female companion ever brought up the issue of regular vaginal discharge. And, maybe, it was considered common sense that classifying it as a cause to break Wudhu would be a matter of great hardship, and Allah doesn’t intend hardship for us rather He makes matters easy. Similar to how the scholars concluded that since avoiding swallowing of the saliva is extremely difficult while Fasting, and Shari’ah wards off unusual difficulty, then it must not be a cause to break one’s Fast. Likewise, marking vaginal discharge as a reason to break Wudhu, doesn’t correspond with the spirit of ease, for Allah said:
If the textual proof from the Quraan or Sunnah had existed clearly distinguishing vaginal discharge as a cause for breaking Wudhu, as is the case with the other actions that break Wudhu and are mentioned clearly in a number of Ahadith, then we would have withdrawn from the rational argument and would have “heard and obeyed” by Allah’s permission. However, the lack of textual evidence is a strong indication that there is room for logical reasoning.
Moreover like any Fiqhi matter, there is disagreement among the Scholars on this issue too. And it seems that Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen changed his opinion by the end of his life, as stated on Islamtoday.com:
“About vaginal discharge by Sheikh Yusuf al-Qasim: ‘What comes from the vagina, emanating from the birth canal, is pure. It requires neither a ritual bath, nor wudu, nor the washing of affected clothing. The reason for this is the absence of any textual evidence – to the extent of my knowledge – that indicates the impurity of this discharge or that it invalidates a woman’s wudu. This is very pertinent, especially since this discharge is something that affects all women, from the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) up to today. If it had been impure or if it had nullified wudu, this would have been clarified by the Lawgiver. Also, this discharge is not a waste product – like urine and feces which are the waste products of our food and drink. It is a natural emanation from the womb. This is why it increases with pregnancy, especially during certain months. This ruling is the final opinion that Sheikh al-`Uthaymeen settled upon at the end of his life. It was also the view of Ibn Hazm. And Allah knows best.’
About vaginal discharge also Shaykh Ahmad al-Khalîl said: "The moisture which comes out from women’s vagina is a matter of disagreement among scholars. The most correct rule, in my opinion, is that it is pure and does not invalidate wudu." [Answered by the Fatwa Department Research Committee – chaired by Shaykh `Abd al-Wahhab al-Turayrî]
First of all, let it be known that all women have vaginal discharge throughout the day. Some have more, some have less; some women always have white discharge and some have yellowish. Additionally, this also varies based on many factors, like age, hormonal changes, marital status, birth control, pregnancy, stress, psychological tension, physical fatigue, ovulation, etc. It would not be incorrect to state that anything and everything not only affects the amount secreted but even the color of it.
This information has been verified by different Gynecologists, one of them answered regarding vaginal discharge:
“Regarding
vaginal discharge, yes there is a physiologic or normal discharge that
most women have. It can vary from person to person in quantity and
quality and vary depending on timing in the menstrual cycle (discharge
is greatest at midcycle).”
Keeping this in mind:
1. If regular vaginal discharge breaks Wudhu, then it means that the majority of the women will have to renew their Wudhu for almost each and every prayer. Having to renew Wudhu for each prayer is usually required when a person is going through some sort of “abnormality” in their physique. However, if a discharge is normal, then how can a female be burdened with renewing her Wudhu for almost every Prayer? This basically implies that women cannot stay in the state of Taharah (purity) most of the time. Not only it is a hardship upon women while they are staying inside their homes, but more so if they have to leave the house for shopping, visiting or traveling, etc - at times in many countries and cities it is difficult to find a place to even Pray for a Muslim woman let alone now she must go around looking for a bathroom to renew her Wudhu!
2. Furthermore, if regular vaginal discharge were to be considered Najs in addition to breaking Wudhu, the hardship would be increased even more. How many times a day is it expected of Muslim females to change their undergarments? In the case of being outside her home, she must find a place to wash off her underwear first, then find a place to renew her Wudhu, and then find a place to Pray! In all honesty, we do not believe that Allah would subject women to this great difficulty, Allahu a'laam.
3. Based on the Fatawa points we mentioned above, the vaginal discharge is further classified based on the color and texture. We believe women will easily acknowledge that this is an overly simplistic classification of a very complicated matter. Although, generally each woman knows her “regular” discharge, it can differ in its color and texture at different times of the same day depending on many factors like mental stress, physical stress, ovulation, PMS’ing, etc.
When this question was posed to a Gynecologist, she answered:
“Yes this is definitely true. In my humble opinion, I don’t think that the discharge of women can be compared to that of men, but I don’t treat men, so if you know a Muslim urologist it may be helpful to get some input.”
4. Another point of classification mentioned in Islamqa Fatawa is the fact that female discharge is of two types, one secreting from urethra and the other from the uterus. The first being impure and the latter being pure. This question as well was posed to a Gynecologist to find out if it was even practically possible for women to know which opening the discharge was secreted from, and her reply was:
If
the rulings were so complicated, how would a
normal-everyday-average-woman that is not knowledgeable about women’s
anatomy be able to cope!
Keeping this in mind:
1. If regular vaginal discharge breaks Wudhu, then it means that the majority of the women will have to renew their Wudhu for almost each and every prayer. Having to renew Wudhu for each prayer is usually required when a person is going through some sort of “abnormality” in their physique. However, if a discharge is normal, then how can a female be burdened with renewing her Wudhu for almost every Prayer? This basically implies that women cannot stay in the state of Taharah (purity) most of the time. Not only it is a hardship upon women while they are staying inside their homes, but more so if they have to leave the house for shopping, visiting or traveling, etc - at times in many countries and cities it is difficult to find a place to even Pray for a Muslim woman let alone now she must go around looking for a bathroom to renew her Wudhu!
2. Furthermore, if regular vaginal discharge were to be considered Najs in addition to breaking Wudhu, the hardship would be increased even more. How many times a day is it expected of Muslim females to change their undergarments? In the case of being outside her home, she must find a place to wash off her underwear first, then find a place to renew her Wudhu, and then find a place to Pray! In all honesty, we do not believe that Allah would subject women to this great difficulty, Allahu a'laam.
3. Based on the Fatawa points we mentioned above, the vaginal discharge is further classified based on the color and texture. We believe women will easily acknowledge that this is an overly simplistic classification of a very complicated matter. Although, generally each woman knows her “regular” discharge, it can differ in its color and texture at different times of the same day depending on many factors like mental stress, physical stress, ovulation, PMS’ing, etc.
When this question was posed to a Gynecologist, she answered:
“Yes this is definitely true. In my humble opinion, I don’t think that the discharge of women can be compared to that of men, but I don’t treat men, so if you know a Muslim urologist it may be helpful to get some input.”
4. Another point of classification mentioned in Islamqa Fatawa is the fact that female discharge is of two types, one secreting from urethra and the other from the uterus. The first being impure and the latter being pure. This question as well was posed to a Gynecologist to find out if it was even practically possible for women to know which opening the discharge was secreted from, and her reply was:
“I think it is impossible to differentiate based on color or texture.”
Because of these factors, this predicament has left many Muslim women frustrated. Many sisters still struggle with distinguishing between the color of what marks the beginning and the end of their menstrual cycle, let alone knowing the different color/texture of daily vaginal discharge. Women of all ages, from young girls to older aunties, of various ethnicities, have discussed the dilemma of the inconsistency of the color of the discharge before and after menstruation. It is simply impossible to distinguish the color on a daily basis especially with such a sensitive situation where the prayer can be nullified based on the wrong judgment.
That is why we fear that digging too much into the color and texture is inviting complications upon ourselves, similar to how it was invited by inquiring too much about the color and texture of the cow. For many of us, this issue has raised more questions than answers. And that makes us think, and Allah knows best, that there must be a reason why there is:
1. Lack of Textual Proof: There is no textual proof from the Quraan and Sunnah at all to make regular vaginal discharge of a Muslim woman a cause of breaking Wudhu. If it was a cause then it would have been explicitly mentioned in at least one narration. It is interesting that there are many narrations explicitly mentioning a number of things breaking the Wudhu, however, regular vaginal discharge has never been mentioned in any one of them.
2. Lack of Questions from the Women of Ansar: We always read about the enthusiasm of the women of the Ansar for learning their religion. It is narrated that Ayesha (ra) said: “How excellent are the women of the Ansar, shyness/modesty does not prevent them from understanding the religion.” [Bukhari]
They would not leave matters in confusion, but would rather find a concrete answer even if it required sending their pads to the Prophet (saws) to find out if their cycle had ended or not. Is it then logical that they would not specifically question about their regular vaginal secretion?
UNLESS, the discharge was considered so normal and regular that it was obvious that it did not break the Wudhu. Perhaps, this situation was similar to the saliva in one’s mouth and how swallowing it while Fasting does not invalidate one’s Fast. But we don’t find any explicit text explaining it neither do we find any companion questioning the Prophet (saws) about it. Maybe because it was common sense and obvious and that’s why no one ever brought up this issue, Allahu a'laam.
It may have been the same reason why no female companion ever brought up the issue of regular vaginal discharge. And, maybe, it was considered common sense that classifying it as a cause to break Wudhu would be a matter of great hardship, and Allah doesn’t intend hardship for us rather He makes matters easy. Similar to how the scholars concluded that since avoiding swallowing of the saliva is extremely difficult while Fasting, and Shari’ah wards off unusual difficulty, then it must not be a cause to break one’s Fast. Likewise, marking vaginal discharge as a reason to break Wudhu, doesn’t correspond with the spirit of ease, for Allah said:
“Allah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you” [2:185]
“Allah
does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify you,
and to complete His Favor to you that you may be thankful” [5:6]
“and (Allah) has not laid upon you in religion any hardship” [22:78]
If the textual proof from the Quraan or Sunnah had existed clearly distinguishing vaginal discharge as a cause for breaking Wudhu, as is the case with the other actions that break Wudhu and are mentioned clearly in a number of Ahadith, then we would have withdrawn from the rational argument and would have “heard and obeyed” by Allah’s permission. However, the lack of textual evidence is a strong indication that there is room for logical reasoning.
Moreover like any Fiqhi matter, there is disagreement among the Scholars on this issue too. And it seems that Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen changed his opinion by the end of his life, as stated on Islamtoday.com:
“About vaginal discharge by Sheikh Yusuf al-Qasim: ‘What comes from the vagina, emanating from the birth canal, is pure. It requires neither a ritual bath, nor wudu, nor the washing of affected clothing. The reason for this is the absence of any textual evidence – to the extent of my knowledge – that indicates the impurity of this discharge or that it invalidates a woman’s wudu. This is very pertinent, especially since this discharge is something that affects all women, from the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) up to today. If it had been impure or if it had nullified wudu, this would have been clarified by the Lawgiver. Also, this discharge is not a waste product – like urine and feces which are the waste products of our food and drink. It is a natural emanation from the womb. This is why it increases with pregnancy, especially during certain months. This ruling is the final opinion that Sheikh al-`Uthaymeen settled upon at the end of his life. It was also the view of Ibn Hazm. And Allah knows best.’
About vaginal discharge also Shaykh Ahmad al-Khalîl said: "The moisture which comes out from women’s vagina is a matter of disagreement among scholars. The most correct rule, in my opinion, is that it is pure and does not invalidate wudu." [Answered by the Fatwa Department Research Committee – chaired by Shaykh `Abd al-Wahhab al-Turayrî]
To
conclude, we do believe that since
it is a matter that our male Shayookh have not experienced
themselves and with no textual reference, they cannot fully comprehend
the difficulty of the situation,
like they understood the situation of swallowing saliva during the
Fast. Nevertheless, we highly respect them and we understand that this is
possibly another issue of Ikhtilaaf (disagreement). So if
sisters choose to follow their position with their Qiyaas on this issue
then by all means the doors of
differences of opinions have been left open and we must learn to agree
to disagree on matters of Fiqh. As for the sisters, who are
confused and find the ruling difficult based on what has been discussed
above, then they have a choice, in spirit of Shari’ah’s assurance of
ease and simplicity, to consider the REGULAR vaginal discharge as pure
and not a reason to break the Wudhu and indeed Allah knows best!
17 comments:
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Assalamualaikum sister. May i know.. Even it is yellowish sometimes greenish orany other colour comes out maybe because yeasts infection doesn't break the wudu? And no need to change panties also?
Waalaikum Assalam wa Rahmatullah,
Jazak Allah khair for your comment and query on this topic... regarding what you asked the Article does mention that besides the sexual/ arousal discharge in which there is an agreement, all other regular/ daily women discharges there is difference of opinion and so depending on which opinion or scholar one follows they should act in accordance to that.
I see. Iam in strong opinion i prefer to choose that vaginal discharge is pure. But i just to know if the vaginal discharge having various colour such greenish or yellowish (regular vaginal discharge) that maybe caused by infection is it not break wudu and no need to change panties?
Because i am a bit confused that the scholars up there mention over there not saying what colours.. But they are saying is not breaking wudu and no need to change undergarments. And some scholars in hanafi said if iam not wrong, is not najis if its only white colour.So iam confused is it not najis even different colours?
So dear sis,iam more into to the opinion which is saying is not break wudu and no need to change undergarments.i want to follow the opinion by scholars in the article that already mrntioned but it not mention what colour in it. Just my question to make it clear, is it regular vaginal discharge which is sometime greenish or yellowish because of infection like that will break wudu and need to change panties? 😥
I hope my sister you can help me. Thankyou for your time.
Iam sorry but even because of yeast infection, like sometimes its having odoro and greenish or yellowish, also not break the wudu and need to change the undergarments?
Jazak Allah khair Sister Cloudsky for your comments and wanting to get rid of your doubts, BarakAllahu feeki.
As we mentioned yes there us difference of opinion in regards to this issue amongst the Scholars which includes what you are asking about be it color or slight odor, etc and so yes while others say such discharges are impure others say otherwise.
And so dear Sister our advise to you on this issue of Vaginal Yeast Infection Duscharge is to use Penty Liners and so if there is too much discharge then just insha’Allah change your Penty Liner and insha’Allah just Pray no need to change your undergarments if you just change your Penty Liner and we did ask one of our Shaykh and he said if its not too much difficulty then just to be on the safe side you can do Wudu’ otherwise Bi’idhnillah its not an issue.
We pray Insha’Allah this will be helpful.
jazak Allah Khayr
Thankyou so much , i cry sometimes due to this hardship , even I'm suffering from severe waswas,i have continous yellow discharge, i was fed up of renew wudu and washing off under garments ,thanks for clearing our confusion
Assalamu Alaykum
During my ovulation time I usually get a lot of clear, stretchy discharge. It doesn’t come continuously so I am worried bc sometimes I get it while I am praying and I heard someone like this can’t be excused because the discharge isn’t continuous. I used to think that this discharge didn’t break wudu because it is clear without odor, but I found out that if the discharge comes from the cervix (which is where the ovulation discharge comes from apparently?) then it is impure and breaks wudu. Are there opinions that say it doesn’t break wudu?
Waalaikum Assalam wa Rahmatullah,
There is no difference of opinion when it comes to the impurity of certain known discharges such as maniy & madhiy (sexual feelings discharge & climax discharge), the menstruation brownish/yellowish discharges during period days & ofcourse menstruation itself because alhumdulillah all these types of discharges have clear ahadith/rulings on them.
However certain women discharges like the one you mentioned in question is a matter of qiyaas of some Ulema, i.e. since there is no clear hadith/narration from our beloved Prophet ﷺ or our Ummul Mu’mineen or any of the Sahabiyah on these issues they have made their analogy based on the ahadith of the other known discharges & so yes there will always be difference of opinion on the matter of various discharges of a woman where explicit evidence isn’t available & as per the above Article itself on our Blog, we ‘The Ghurabah.blogspot’ team/ admins follow the ruling that every other discharge of a woman is insha’Allah pure & require no additional action from women except like we pointed out the known discharges that are mentioned clearly in ahadith.
Women go through enough difficulty subhanAllah with their various discharges & then to put extra burden on them & make matters difficult for them isn’t what our deen preaches. Imagine if a muslimah is somewhere outside & is keeping her wudu in order to pray when the time arrives & as is its already hard in majority of the countries to find women praying areas but somehow she manages to find a spot but then she gets this discharge which itself is not easy to distinguish & so if we follow the said qiyaas on this matter that its impure then subhanAllah her wudu is broken & so now forget praying because her next hardship will be to find water or soil for tayammum. All this & then we question why muslimahs can’t/ don’t pray on the right time or why they miss their salawaat when they are outside, Allahu musta’an!
And indeed Allah knows best!
Assalamualaikum, I have a query if considering vaginal discharge as pure if I pray with yellow discharge, as yellow discharge can also be present normally, and considering it is pure as it is vaginal and lack of textual evidence and it is not profuse , I see sometimes yellow sometimes white so if I pray in clothes having slight yellow , is it valid ? Can I follow the opinion that yellow vaginal discharge is pure ?
Assalamualaikum, if I experience yellow discharge and I do not change clothes is salah valid ? Considering yellowish vaginal discharge outside of menses as pure ? Please please help if you could
Waalaikum Assalam wa Rahmatullah, insha’Allah after reading the Article if you truly believe its the haqq then alhumdulillah yes you may follow the opinion since its clearly stated there is no evidence from Quraan and Sunnah to say otherwise on women’s regular vaginal discharge that has nothing to do with either menstruation or sexual feelings/discharge, etc.
Waalaikum Assalam wa Rahmatullah, insha’Allah after reading the Article if you truly believe its the haqq then yes insha’Allah your salawaat are valid and as clearly stated there is no evidence from Quraan and Sunnah to say otherwise on women’s regular vaginal discharge that has nothing to do with either menstruation or sexual feelings/discharge, etc.
Assalamualaikum I wanted to know fiqhi rulings I mean some scholars say yellow is impure but white is pure so I want to know is there any scholarly opinion saying any kind of color is pure as it is occurring normally? So that we can be relived thinking our scholars have agreed ?
Waalaikum Assalamualaikum wa Rahmatullah,
If you’ve read the Article then insha’Allah it should be clear to you that this matter is a matter of controversy amongst the scholars, i.e. difference of opinion hence the reason we keeeeepp on repeating overrrrr & overrrr again that those who wish to follow whichever scholar’s opinion they feel/seem to be more upon the truth or closest to sunnah whether there is or there isn’t any related Hadith on this matter (i.e. on regular woman vaginal discharges outside menstruation cycle), etc then anyone is free to do so.
This is a GENERAL message to every reader (mainly sisters) reading this comment section that we will NOT entertain anymore similar questions since its been repeated many times & its almost as if either Article isn’t being read or the comment section isn’t being read because apparently the answers to all the questions are either in the Article itself or in the comment section alhumdulillah. Please insha’Allah we request the readers to go through the Article clearly & attentively & if you do not agree then alhumdulillah because the Blog & its Owners DO NOT enforce their opinions on anyone. Anyone & everyone insha’Allah can contact their local imaams or their own personal scholars/ imaams/ teachers, etc & follow their ruling/fatwa if they see them to be upon the haqq or upon that which is closest to the sunnah.
The rest indeed Allah alone knows best.
BarakAllahu feekum.
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