Women's Issues

Q:

1. If a woman has a regular period habit of 7-8 days, and she, on the morning of the 7th day, cleans her private area, waits a bit, and sees dryness so assumes her period is over, then later on in the 7th or 8th day she sees spotting (red, brownish and sometimes yellow discharge). Is this menstruation?

2. Is it menstruation if I see this sort of spotting after the 8th day (last day of my habit)?

3. Do I have to make ghusl/pray between spottings? I tend to get spotting for a few days after my period ends and I would have to make ghusl 3-4 times back to back (sometimes on the same day) if it is considered menses because the spotting comes once and then it is dry again.

4. Lastly, I normally get yellow discharge throughout the month. Most of the time it starts before the 15-day period of purity is over(after the end of one menses) and lasts all the way to my next menses. This yellow discharge tends to intensify 6-10 days before the start of the actual menses/blood, which then lasts 7-8 days. Is this yellow discharge considered menses? If this yellow discharge is considered menses, then do I consider the last few days of the actual blood flow not menses? How long can a menstrual cycle last in the Hanafi Madhab? 

Q: I have questions regarding the niqab. I know that it is worn widely in the Middle East. What about in the West, I live in North Carolina and I’ve been wanting to wear it but have been confused because some say you can’t and some say it’s not appropriate for the West. I just want some clarity on this especially if you are still in school, as in High School would this be appropriate?

Q: Is it necessary to wear a jilbab (a garment that starts from the top of the head), or is it permissible to wear an abaya (with the same coverage but starts from shoulders) along with a hijab?

Q: I wore hijab two years ago and now I really want to take it off. I have been waiting for few months for that feeling to change and it's not changing. I pray and I read Quran but the environment is not helping me. A lot of people are mistreating me because of it and I feel people treat me through the hijab not for who I am. I have been searching a lot to understand why I must wear it but nothing convinced me. 

Q: Is it permissible to have relations with one's wife before she has ghusal in the case where her haidh has terminated before ten days?

Q:

1. If a woman, to check the end of her period, cleans her private part, places a tissue there, waits 30 minutes, checks and sees no discharge - does this mean her period is over? Should she wait longer than 30 min before deciding?

2. Also at the beginning/middle of her period, does she have to make ghusl and pray during the times when blood is not flowing? For example, she sees blood at the beginning of her habit and realizes her period has started. Then she sees no blood for about half a day, then she sees blood again and the blood continues for days. During this half a day, is she considered to be on her period?

Q: A poor woman who works as a full-time caretaker of another woman had the death of her husband. In this situation, is it permissible to do iddat in the house where she works since she is the only one to support her children and if she goes to her own home for iddat, she will not have any source of income?

Some people are willing to help her financially for the period of iddat to do iddat at her own home. What will be the best in these circumstances? 

Q: A few questions from a woman:

1. Why are menstruating women not expected to pray? Fast? Touch Quran?

2. Why do we pay back fasts but not salaah?

3. Why do women pray at the back or behind the men in mosques but not so in the harams? More for overseas people cos we go to the masjids here.

Q: I was feeling that I might have got discharge. I did not see because most of the time I have this feeling. Later when I checked (after 1 or 2 hours) I saw blood on my clothes.

1. When should I start counting my haidh days; the time I saw the blood or when I felt the discharge (I am not sure whether I had really got the discharge and it could have been white or red also)?

Q: If the face of women and hands are not awrah then why is it compulsory to cover? Is it a major sin to show the face? You said in one answer that it is compulsory in this time of fitnah... Isn't it compulsory from the era of our Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) when the ayah came?