Book 3: Menstruation

Chapter 1: Lying with One In Menstruation Above the Waist-Wrapper

‘Aisha reported: When anyone amongst us (amongst the wives of the Holy Prophet) menstruated, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) asked her to tie a waist-wrapper over her (body) and then embraced her.

‘Aisha reported: When anyone amongst us was menstruating the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) asked her to tie waist-wrapper daring the time when the menstrual blood profusely flowed and then embraced her; and she (‘Aisha) observed: And who amongst you can have control over his desires as the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had over his desires.

Maimuna (the wife of the Holy Prophet) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) contacted and embraced his wives over the waist-wrapper when they were menstruating.

Kuraibthe freed slave of Ibn Abbas, reported: I heard it from Maimuna, the wife of the Apostle of Allah (way peace be upon him): The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to lie with me when I menstruated, and there was a cloth between me and him.

Umm Salama reported: While I was lying with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) in a bed cover I menstruated, so I slipped away and I took up the clothes (which I wore) in menses. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Have you menstruated? I said: Yes. He called me and I lay down.

Chapter 2: The Menstruating Woman Is Permitted to Wash the Head of Her Husband, Comb His Hair, and Her Left-Over As Clean and One Is Permitted to Recline In Her Lap and Recite the Qur’an

It is reported from ‘Aisha that she observed: When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was in I’tikaf, he inclined his head towards me and I combed his hair, and he did not enter the house but for the natural calls (for relieving himself).

‘Amra daughter of ‘Abd al-Rahman reported: ‘Aisha, wife of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: When I was (in I’tikaf), I entered the house for the call of nature, and while passing I inquired after the health of the sick (in the family), and when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was (in I’tikaf), he put out his head towards me, while he himself was in the mosque, and I combed his hair; and he did not enter the house except for the call of nature so long as he was In I’tikaf; and Ibn Rumh stated: As long as they (the Prophet and his wives) were among the observers of I’tikaf.

‘Aisha, the wife of the Apostle (may peace he upon him), reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) put out from the mosque his head for me as he was in I’tikaf, and I washed it in the state that I was menstruating.

‘Urwa reported it from ‘Aisha that she observed: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) inclined his head towards me (from the mosque) while I was in my apartment and I combed it in a state of menstruation.

Al-Aswad narrated it from ‘Aisha that she observed: I used to wash the head of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), while I was in a state of menstruation.

‘Aisha reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said to me: Get me the mat from the mosque. I said: I am menstruating. Upon this he remarked: Your menstruation is not in your hand.

‘Aisha reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) ordered me that I should get him the mat from the mosque. I said: I am menstruating. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Do get me that, for menstruation is not in your hand.

Abu Huraira reported: While the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was in the mosque, he said: O ‘Aisha, get me that garment. She said: I am menstruating. Upon this he remarked: Your menstruation is not in your hand, and she, therefore, got him that.

‘Aisha reported: I would drink when I was menstruating, then I would hand it (the vessel) to the Apostle (may peace be upon him) and he would put his mouth where mine had been, and drink, and I would eat flesh from a bone when I was menstruating, then hand it over to the Apostle (may peace be upon him) and he would put his mouth where mine had been. Zuhair made no mention of (the Holy Prophet’s) drinking.

‘Aisha reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) would recline in my lap when I was menstruating, and recite the Qur’an.

Thabit narrated it from Anas: Among the Jews, when a woman menstruated, they did not dine with her, nor did they live with them in their houses; so the Companions of the Apostle (may peace be upon him) asked The Apostle (may peace be upon him), and Allah, the Exalted revealed: “And they ask you about menstruation; say it is a pollution, so keep away from woman during menstruation” to the end (Qur’an, ii. 222). The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Do everything except intercourse. The Jews heard of that and said: This man does not want to leave anything we do without opposing us in it. Usaid b. Hudair and Abbad b. Bishr came and said: Messenger of Allah, the Jews say such and such thing. We should not have, therefore, any contact with them (as the Jews do). The face of the Messenger of Allah (way peace be upon him) underwent such a change that we thought he was angry with them, but when they went out, they happened to receive a gift of milk which was sent to the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him). He (the Holy Prophet) called for them and gave them drink, whereby they knew that he was not angry with them.

Chapter 3: On Al-Madhi

‘Ali reported: I was one whose prostatic fluid flowed readily and I was ashamed to ask the Apostle (may peace be upon him) about it, because of the position of his daughter. I, therefore, asked Miqdad. b. al-Asad and he inquired of him (the Holy Prophet). He (the Holy Prophet) said: He should wash his male organ and perform ablution.

‘Ali reported: I felt shy of asking about prostatic fluid from the Apostle (may peace be upon him) because of Fatimah. I, therefore, asked al-Miqdad (to ask on my behalf) and he asked. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Ablution is obligatory in such a case.

Ibn ‘Abbas reported it from ‘Ali: We sent al-Miqdad b. al-Aswad to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) to ask him what must be done about prostatic fluid which flows from (the private part of) a person. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Perform ablution and wash your sexual organ.

Chapter 4: Washing of Face and Hands After Waking Up From Sleep

Ibn ‘Abbas reported: The Apostle (may peace be upon him) woke up at night; relieved himself, and then washed his face and hands and then again slept.

Chapter 5: It Is Permissible For a Person to Sleep After Sexual Intercourse (Without a Bath) and the Desirability of Ablution For Him, and Washing of the Sexual Organ As He Intends to Eat, Drink, Sleep or Cohabit

‘Aisha reported: Whenever the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) intended to sleep after having sexual intercourse, he performed ablution as for the prayer before going to sleep.

‘Aisha reported: Whenever the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had sexual intercourse and intended to eat or sleep, he performed the ablution of prayer.

This hadith has been transmitted by Shu’ba with the same chain of transmitters. Ibn at-Muthanna said in his narration: AI-Hakam narrated to us who heard from Ibrahim narrating that.

Ibn ‘Umar reported: Umar said: Is one amongst us permitted to sleep in a state of impurity (i.e. after having sexual intercourse?) He (the Holy Prophet) said: Yes, after performing ablution.

Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘Umar asked the verdict of the Shari’ah from the Apostle (may peace be upon him) thus: Is it permissible for any one of us to sleep in a state of impurity? He (the Holy Prophet said: Yes, he must perform ablution and then sleep and take a bath when he desires.

Ibn Umar reported: Umar b. al-Khattab said to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), that he became Junbi during the night. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said to him: Perform ablution, wash your sexual organ and then go to sleep.

‘Abdullah b. Abu’l-Qais reported: I asked ‘Aisha about the Witr (prayer) of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and made mention of a hadith, then I said: What did he do after having sexual intercourse? Did he take a bath before going to sleep or did he sleep before taking a bath? She said: He did all these. Sometimes he took a bath and then slept, and sometimes he performed ablution only and went to sleep. I (the narrator) said: Praise be to Allah Who has made things easy (for human beings).

This hadith has been transmitted with the same chain of transmitters from Mu’awyia b. Salih by Zuhair b. Harb, ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Mahdi, Harun b. Sa’id al-‘Aili and Ibn Wahb.

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: When anyone amongst you has sexual intercourse with his wife and then he intends to repeat it, he should perform ablution. In the hadith transmitted by Abu Bakr. (the words are): “Between the two (acts) there should be an ablution,” or he (the narrator) said: “Then he intended that it should be repeated.”

Anas reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to have sexual intercourse with his wives with a single bath.

Chapter 6: Bathing Is Obligatory For a Woman After Experiencing Orgasm In Dream

Anas b. Malik reported: Umm Sulaim who was the grandmother of Ishaq came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) in the presence of ‘Aisha and said to him: Messenger of Allah, in case or woman sees what a man sees in dream and she experiences in dream what a man experiences (i.e. experiences orgasm?) Upon this ‘Aisha remarked: O Umm Sulaim, you brought humiliation to women; may your right hand be covered with dust. He (the Holy Prophet) said to ‘Aisha: Let your hand be covered with dust, and (addressing Umm Sulaim) said: Well, O Umm Sulaim, she should take a bath if she sees that (i.e. she experiences orgasm in dream.)

Anas b. Malik reported that Umm Sulaim narrated it that she asked the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) about a woman who sees in a dream what a man sees (sexual dream). The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon bi m) said: In case a woman sees that, she must take a bath. Umm Sulaim said: I was bashful on account of that and said: Does it happen? Upon this the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Yes (it does happen), otherwise how can (a child) resemble her? Man’s discharge (i.e. sperm) is thick and white and the discharge of woman is thin and yellow; so the resemblance comes from the one whose genes prevail or dominate.

Anas b. Malik reported: A woman asked the Messenger of Allah (way peace be upon him) about a woman who sees in her dream what a man sees in his dream (sexual dream). He (the Holy Prophet) said: If she experiences what a man experiences, she should take a bath.

Umm Salama reported: Umm Sulaim went to the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) and said: Apostle of Allah, Allah is not ashamed of the truth. Is bathing necessary for a woman when she has a sexual dream? Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Yes, when she sees the liquid (vaginal secretion). Umm Salama said: Messenger of Allah, does a woman have sexual dream? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Let your hand be covered with dust, in what way does her child resemble her?

This hadith with the same sense (as narrated above) has been transmitted from Hisham b. ‘Urwa with the same chain of narrators but with this addition that she (Umm Salama) said: “You humiliated the women.

‘Aisha the wife of the Apostle (may peace be upon him) narrated: Umm Sulaim, the mother of Bani Abu Talha, came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), and a hadith (like that) narrated by Hisham was narrated but for these words. ‘Aisha said: I expressed disapproval to her, saying: Does a woman see a sexual dream?

It is reported on the authority of ‘Aisha that a woman came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and inquired: Should a woman wash herself when she sees a sexual dream and sees (the marks) of liquid? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Yes. ‘Aisha said to her: May your hand be covered with dust and injured. She narrated: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Leave her alone. In what way does the child resemble her but for the fact that when the genes contributed by woman prevail upon those of man, the child resembles the maternal family, and when the genes of man prevail upon those of woman the child resembles the paternal family.

Chapter 7: The Characteristic of the Male Reproductive Substance(Sperm) and Female Reproductive Substance (Ovum), and that the Offspring Is Produced by the Contribution of Both

Thauban, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), said: While I was standing beside the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) one of the rabbis of the Jews came and said: Peace be upon you, O Muhammad. I pushed him back with a push that he was going to fall. Upon this he said: Why do you push me? I said: Why don’t you say: O Messenger of Allah? The Jew said: We call him by the name by which he was named by his family. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: My name is Muhammad with which I was named by my family. The Jew said: I have come to ask you (something.) The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Should that thing be of any benefit to you, if I tell you that? He (the Jew) said: I will lend my ears to it. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) drew a line with the help of the stick that he had with him and then said: Ask (whatever you like). Thereupon the Jew said: Where would the human beings be on the day when the earth would change into another earth and the heavens too (would change into other heavens)? The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: They would be in darkness beside the Bridge. He (the Jew) again said: Who amongst people would be the first to cross (this bridge)? He said: They would be the poor amongst the refugees. The Jew said: What would constitute their breakfast when they would enter Paradise? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: A caul of the fish-liver. He (the Jew) said: What would be their food alter this? He (the Holy Prophet) said: A bullock which was fed in the different quarters of Paradise would be slaughtered for them. He (the Jew) said: What would be their drink? He (the Holy Prophet) said: They would be given drink from the fountain which is named “Salsabil.” He (the Jew) said: I have come to ask you about a thing which no one amongst the people on the earth knows except an apostle or one or two men besides him. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Would it benefit you if I tell you that? He (the Jew) said: I would lend ears to that. He then said: I have come to ask you about the child. He (the Holy Prophet) said: The reproductive substance of man is white and that of woman (i.e. ovum central portion) yellow, and when they have sexual intercourse and the male’s substance (chromosomes and genes) prevails upon the female’s substance (chromosomes and genes), it is the male child that is created by Allah’s Decree, and when the substance of the female prevails upon the substance contributed by the male, a female child is formed by the Decree of Allah. The Jew said: What you have said is true; verily you are an Apostle. He then returned and went away. The Messenger of Allah(may peace be upon him) said: He asked me about such and such things of which I have had no knowledge till Allah gave me that.

This tradition has been narrated by Mu’awyia b. Salim with the same chain of transmitters except for the words: I was sitting beside the Messenger of Allah” and some other minor alterations.

Chapter 8: Bathing After Sexual Intercourse or Seminal Emission

‘Aisha reported: When Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) bathed because of sexual intercourse, he first washed his hands: he then poured water with his right hand on his left hand and washed his private parts. He then performed ablution as is done for prayer.’ He then took some water and put his fingers and moved them through the roots of his hair. And when he found that these had been properly moistened, then poured three handfuls on his head and then poured water over his body and subsequently washed his feet.

This hadith is narrated by Abu Kuraib, Ibn Numair and others, all on the authority of Hisham with the same chain of transmitters, but in their narration these words are not there: “washed his feet.”

Hisham narrated it from his father, who narrated it on the authority of ‘Aisha that when the Apostle (may peace be upon him) took a bath because of sexual inter-course, he first washed the palms of his hands three times, and then the whole hadith was transmitted like that based on the authority of Abu Mu’awyia, but no mention is made of the washing of feet.