THE CHAPTER ON PURITY · 132 – THE RULING REGARDING CLOTHING WORN DURING MENSTRUATION
Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with her) relates: I asked Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) about what a woman whose garment is stained with menstrual blood should do. Aisha said, "She should wash it, and if the stain remains, she should rub it with something yellow." I said, “Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him), sometimes I experience three periods in my presence with you,” and she replied, “I do not wash my garment.”
NOTE:
Yellow (Sufra): Means yellow.
Here, "sufra" refers to vers, a fragrant yellow-colored herb.
It is cultivated in Yemen, and once planted, it grows on its own for twenty years. It is used to remove color. (Ahthar’s vers entry)
Mujahid, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated from Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, one of the Pure Wives: We would not have more than one garment each. While wearing it, she would experience menstruation. She said, "If blood were to touch the garment, she would moisten it with saliva and squeeze it (between her fingernails)." [251]
COMMENTARY:
If menstrual blood touched a garment, they would wash it with water. If there was no other garment available, and the blood was only visible to the eye, like a droplet the size of a pinhead, she would moisten it with saliva and scrape it off the garment with her fingernails, then wash her hands. This was not something done constantly, but perhaps when prayer time arrived, and there was no other garment available, and little water as well, she moistened the spot of blood with saliva to facilitate scraping it away with the tip of her nail.
Having narrated on the authority of his grandmother, Bekkar bin Yahya said:
I came to Umm Salamah one day. A woman from the Quraysh asked Umm Salamah about praying in the clothing worn during menstruation.
Umm Salamah said: “During the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we would menstruate. Those who were experiencing menstruation would wait until it ceased, then perform ablution. They would look at the clothes they wore during those days; if there was a stain [of blood], they would wash them and pray in them. If nothing had stained them, we would not wash them, and it would not prevent us from praying.”
Regarding braids, one of us might have her hair braided. When she performed ablution, she would not unbraid it, but would pour three handfuls of water over her head until she saw the water reaching the roots of the hairs, then rub her head, and afterwards pour water over the rest of her body.”
Narrated by Asma bint Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her):
A woman asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him), “Messenger of Allah, what should a woman do with her garment when she is cleansed from menstruation? Can she pray in it?”
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said, "She should look at it; if she sees any bloodstain, she should rub it off and wash it, and if she does not see anything, she should sprinkle water over it and pray in that garment.”
Narrated by Asma bint Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with her:
A woman asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him: “O Messenger of Allah, what should a woman do if menstrual blood stains her garment?” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, replied: "Let one of you wipe it with her finger, then rinse it, and pray.”
Hisham (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: It was related on the same meaning as the preceding hadith that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: “Scrape it, squeeze it with water, then pour water over it.” [253]
I asked the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, about menstrual blood that had stained my garment. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Scrape it off with a curved object and wash it with water and *sidir*.” [254]
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) related:
One of the garments belonging to the pure wives would be one that she wore upon her back. While wearing it, she would experience menstruation, become ritually impure, and if she saw a drop of blood on it, she would moisten it with saliva and squeeze it.
Abū Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: Havle, the daughter of Yesar, came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, saying, “O Messenger of Allah, I have no garments other than one dress, and I menstruate while it is on my back. What should I do?” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Purify yourself with it and perform your prayer." Havle said, "What if the blood does not come out by washing?" The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If you wash away the blood, that is sufficient; the residue causes no harm.”
COMMENTARY: Blood and other impurities on clothing are washed. After using soap or other cleansing agents, any remaining yellowness poses no problem. However, nowadays there are many detergents that also remove color. They should be utilized.