Quandary of Female Vaginal Discharge: Pure or Impure?

When I wrote my last piece on female wet dreams, I received many requests to add a portion on vaginal discharge as well.  However, since vaginal discharge is a common quandary among Muslim women and a subject of controversy among the scholars, I wanted to write a separate entry on this.

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 wudu or not.  Many sisters turn to one of the most trusted websites, islam-qa, 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. Links to the fatwas are listed below the post.

To summarize the info in the links below, feminine discharge has been classified into the same categories as the discharge of males:

“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.”


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 wudu.

After reading these sets of fatawa, I felt more bewildered than educated on this matter. In my 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 I love and respect the shayookh on that site, I must respectfully suggest that certain issues need to be taken under consideration before classifying vaginal discharge as a cause of breaking the wudu.

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, and some may even have brownish. 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 being Dr. Lalani who 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 wudu, then it means that the majority of the women will have to renew their wudu for almost each and every prayer. Having to renew wudu 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 wudu 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 or traveling, etc.  At times, it is difficult to find a spot to pray; now she must go around looking for a bathroom to renew her wudu first!

2. Furthermore, if regular vaginal discharge were to be considered najs in addition to breaking wudu, 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 wudu, and then find a place to pray! In all honesty, I do not believe that Allah azzawajal would subject women to this great difficulty, wAllahu ta'ala 'alam.

3.  Based on the fatawa above, the vaginal discharge is further classified based on the color and texture. I 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 I posed this question to Dr. Lalani, 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 the above 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. I posed this question to Dr. Lalani 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.”

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!

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 wudu for longer periods of time. How practical, during Hajj, is the implication of the ruling that regular vaginal discharge breaks wudu! What can the majority of the women do to keep away from a discharge that is secreted from their body REGULARY 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 wudu for longer periods of time, unless what is considered by some scholars a cause of breaking the wudu, is actually not a cause to break the wudu, wAllahu ta'ala 'alam.

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, and Allah knows best, I 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 me think, and Allah knows best, that there must be a reason why there is:

1. Lack of Textual Proof: There is no textual proof to make regular vaginal discharge a cause of breaking wudu. 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 wudu, 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 Aisha, radiAllahu anha, 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, sallallahu alaihi wasalam, 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 wudu. 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, sallallahu alihi wasalam, about it. Maybe because it was common sense and obvious and that's why no one ever brought up this issue, wAllahu ta'ala 'alam.

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 wudu 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 sharee'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 wudu, doesn't correspond with the spirit of ease, for Allah azzawajal said:


“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 had existed clearly distinguishing vaginal discharge as a cause for  breaking wudu, as is the case with the other actions that break wudu and are mentioned clearly in a number of ahadeeth, 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 Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen 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 by Sheikh Ahmad al-Khalîl: '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 Sheikh `Abd al-Wahhab al-Turayrî)

As for the rulings over other vaginal discharge that is secreted during sexual excitement or intercourse is obviously understandable and applicable as it is occasional and is caused by certain actions that are controllable. Hence, if a woman has discharge during sexual thoughts, foreplay, kissing etc., without an orgasm, then she should renew her wudu.  And if she has intercourse, orgasm or a wet dream then she should make ghusal.

To conclude, I am in no position to give verdicts on Islamic rulings, neither is my knowledge anywhere close to the shayookh who have answered the questions in the links below. At the same time, I have not found any sister, so far, who finds the position of those shayookh, with regard to the REGULAR vaginal discharge, as sympathetic or an understanding approach towards female physique. I do believe that since it is a matter that our shayookh have not experienced themselves they cannot fully comprehend the difficulty of the situation, like they understood the situation of swallowing saliva during the fast. Nevertheless, I highly respect them and I understand that this is possibly another issue of ikhtilaf (disagreement). So if sisters choose to follow their position, 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 sharee'ah's assurance of ease and simplicity, to consider the REGULAR vaginal discharge as pure and not a reason to break the wudu, wAllahu ta'ala 'alam.

Let me end the article with a note from Shaikh Yasir Qadhi:

“The issue of female vaginal discharges is one of those that appears to be different between 'theory' and 'existence'. Most male scholars simply assumed that it should take the same ruling as that of irregular male discharge (known as wady). This qiyas, in my humble opinion, is simply not warranted.

The average woman emits vaginal secretions throughout the day, albeit most do so in extremely minuscule quantities. Some are able to detect minor discharges, and it is these women who ask the status of wudhu after such a discharge.

Personally, while I do agree that a majority of our (male) scholars have historically considered this discharge to be najas, and to break the wudhu, I think that a feminine perspective is warranted on the issue. When so many women experience this discharge, and no textual evidence appears to indicate its status as najas, I believe that it is completely safe for a woman to follow the opinion that it does not affect the status of her wudhu. Nonetheless, if she were to take the majority opinion, just to be on the safe side, this would also be good.”



159 Responses

  1. UAS

    mashAllah. Women really need articles on these topics so that we may understand our deen and our bodies.

    It is desperately needed. JazakumAllah khair.

    • Diane

      I just wanted to ask about the discharges (I’m a young muslim teenage girl and is finding difficulty in keeping my wudhu )
      I get them almost everyday it started last year
      I used to do a lot of bad things just last year but I stopped as soon as I knew it was haram
      It stopped for a few months but then continued months ago till now
      It’s difficult for me to stop it
      sexual thoughts or not it keeps coming in different colors
      Ad when I get them I feel a strange feeling around the stomach area and the urge to use the toilet
      I understand the discharges after period but what about that comes regularly
      As she said “if these fluids come without orgasm you don’t need to make ghusl”
      Sometimes clear , sometimes white and sometimes light yellow-green-like fluid
      Sometimes the yellow-green fluid and white ones are spongy like
      The yellow-green one sometimes appear dry especially when it’s spongy like
      And since I always use a pad it can be a little hard to identify its odor
      I do not know if it’s a sickness (because sometimes while im cleaning myself my private parts hurt/burns? i always thought it could come after urine or since the water i used to wash is a bit warmer ) or it’s just me since I had a bad past of these things
      is there a cure for it? Please I need answers oh dear brother or sister

      • Ameerah

        Assalaamualaikum dear sister,
        It appears to me that the discharge you are describing is due to an infection (especially the white “spongy” type which could be due to a yeast infection, also because u described that u feel burning down there. Green could signify infection….and u should not be having the urge to go to the bathroom like that.) I STRONGLY suggest that u go to a doctor and get checked. And don’t worry because if it as infection then yes it can be cured! I hope u get better soon, may Allah help you.

      • bird

        Diane, listen, it’s okay if you have discharges. I don’t think that you should pay attention to the different colours of the vaginal discharges. All of us women have discharges with many colors. Only if there is a strong feeling of desire accompanied by contraction of the vagina/uterus and with that feeling you find discharge, then ghusl is required. don’t worry about the feeling in the stomach that makes one want to urinate, I have it sometimes. as long as there are no crazy strong desire accompanied by continuously contraction of the private part, it’s okay (this feeling of crazy desire can be controlled). and like a sister said, please visit a doctor. im replying late so i hope you visited a doctor and that youre okay. I think it might be because of the pad you use. May Allah watch over you and may everything be easy for you and all muslims ameen. And please don’t worry about discharges as the author here said that some shoyuk said that vaginal discharges are pure and don’t required wuduu, and differences of opinions among shoyookh is from Allah’s mercy. So do what’s easy for you :)

      • bird

        but try to control that feeling you get in your stomach that makes you want to urinate by saying istighfar. I mean try to distract yourself from it by saying zikr.

      • bird

        oh and if there’s weak desire (without any contractions of the private part) and you found discharge then just do wuduu (im not sure though) I’m sorry because umm I mean since some shuyukh said that they’re all pure and don’t required wuduu then you can follow what they said :)

    • Sister

      Asalamualaykum brother or sister

      I’m confused
      What if one feels wetness even without thoughts
      (I always fear this wetness coming and sometimes it does and im worried about it)
      what if there is no discharge on the undergarment but might or have felt slimy wetness while washing the private parts
      As it was said “the private part of a girl is always wet”
      So how to tell if its there or not if its not even seen on the undergarment
      I always get it so I’m unsure of it
      also does it break fast?
      Pls reply

      • bird

        wetness (and vaginal discharge) doesnt break fast, sister. As long as there is no crazy feeling of desire with contraction of the private part then you found directly after the time of contraction the presence of discharge, then you have to do ghusl. that’s all I guess. I follow that to be honest with you. vaginal discharges cannot be stopped dear sister. How can we stop it? We can’t. Therefore, in Ramadan there must be no orgasm and your fast won’t be broken because if a lady doesnt experience orgasm then her fast is not broken. so don’t worry, okay? May Allah watching over you and make everything easy for you and all muslims amen :) i hope i made it clear for you that wetness is very normal

      • bird

        if there is weak desire (without contractions of the private part) and you found discharges, you can do wuduu. I’m not sure though dear sister but since some shoyookh said that vaginal discharges are pure then you can follow that :)

    • Middle Way

      I Just came from a woman circle today where we discussed regular woman discharge- the lady sheik (may Allah bless her and open her mind more) has basically told each of us to cover the mouth of vagina with a cotton or tissue DAILY to not let the regular discharge ( in subject here) to prevent touching us or even underwear..so as it breaks Wudhu.And cant pray like that. She said she does that since she is 11 yr old and she daily changes those cottons or tissues etc( not talking bout pads here).
      So this would allow a woman to keep taheer and able to pray. I opposed to her logicaly saying excatly what you mentioned above in this article. I have 4 kids and have always had regular clean looking vaginal discharge. I also work 8-5 everyday out in corporate im the only breadwinner for my children. I dont mind making wudhu for each prayer but cant imagine to wash- change my underwear- or cotton balls (!) for each prayer. How would sahabee women did with it out in desert ???
      Since our gathering today and my argument with lady sheik then its been 4 hours and I was eating my heart out feeling guilty and less of a muslim by arguing her. But Now I felt Overjoyed that I was not wrong. My logic would not accept How Allah SWT would put us in such hardship..and how come we never saw an actual text evidence of this. MOST definitely we NEEDED THIS ARTICLE JAZAAAAKALLAH KHAYRAN

    • Zaynab

      Asalumalaykum Umm Reem,
      Jazak Allah alf khayr for this post. I’ve been married just two months Alhamdulillah and in the first month of our marriage, Ramadan had started. I went insane looking online for information about whether or not I have to take ghusl and whether my fast breaks due to discharge due to fondling while fasting. Till now, I found almost nothing and I couldn’t believe that this issue is not addressed clearly, or atleast that information about it is not available online. If you do know a shaykh who could clarify this point, I would be very grateful. Wassalam.

  2. UAS

    I am just a customer. However I wish to spread the word on the allowed (not the prohibited, i.e eyebrow threading) women-only services.

    I just got a haircut from there yesterday and was pleased with the results.

    Just as it is difficult to find fulfilling explanations by Muslims on female related topics, it is also just as difficult to find a fulfilling women-only spa owned by a Muslimah

  3. abu Rumay-s.a.

    jazakie Allahu khairun for the clarification…

    I recall reading that Ali (ra) had a case of excretion at certain point in his life and that article mentioned sprinkling of water in that area where one sees it to cast out doubt that it maybe najis and that was in specific to uncontrollable discharge…is that something that would also be recommended in case of discharge of wadihy (some one pls correct me if I’m wrong, I dont have the source with me right now and it was quite some time ago)..

    Also, is there another way to access those fatwas from islam-qa, that site is now banned from Saudi as a result of a new law that only government body can issue fatwas, that also applied to the arabic section of Shaikh Salman’s site (www.islamtoday.net), therefore I didn’t get a chance to read the fatwas you posted..

    thanks again..

    • Umm Reem

      I recall the incident of Ali (ra) but I din’t quite understand your question, r u referring to wadihy for women’s regular discharge? if so than if one doesn’t believe it to be najs than there is no need to sprinkle water, wAllahu ta’ala ‘alam

      And as for the islamqa, my sister recently told me who also lives in Saudi…it is funny that a saudi based website is banned in saudi!

      I can try to email you the fatwas inshaAllah!

    • AbdAllah

      @Abu Rmaysa

      If you want to access islamqa in Saudi, simply google the question and click on “cached link” instead of the main link. You can also use cloud7.cz.cc/ as a bypass website and access islamqa. Hope it helps.

  4. broAhmed

    Props to MuslimMatters for not being shy to discuss topics like these! JazechAllah khaira Umm Reem.

  5. Ify Okoye

    Jazaki’Allah khayr, Umm Reem. Well said, I’ve always found it strangely more theoretical than practical to have men try to speak with any authority about women’s discharge because even though they may ask women about it, they have no real idea about it anymore than women can imagine what male physiology and regular discharge is like. And this issue has certainly led to quite a bit of neuroses because the issue of the validity of one’s salah is so incredibly important.

    • Umm Reem

      wa iyyaki ify!

      that’s true but at the same time we, sisters, too shy away from asking questions until we are satisfied with the answer.

      I was told by a dear friend, very reliable source, how a sister in saudi found sh. ibn uthaimeen’s previous fatwa on this issue perplexing, and she kept approaching him until he was convinced that this issue was not as simple as it seems…rahimuhullah changed his opinion during his last days!

      • a_sister

        subhanAllah i can’t believe he changed his mind! Alhumdulillah! this issue has been bothering me for a long time, and its a HUGE relief to find the discussion from a sister’s point of view which is more practical and understanding, instead of the somewhat inconsiderate rulings presented by male shuyookh (with all due respect to them)

  6. Olivia

    Excellent article and much-needed. We studied this topic in Arees, and I also came to the conclusion that had it been something that nullified wudu, there would have been some evidence of this in the sunnah. It also goes against reason to think that something that Allah made as a constant emission would break wudu. Very good article, indeed.

    • sister Li

      Assalamualaikum Sister
      I have a question
      What if one sister is new to this “puberty”
      And has no idea of the discharges or is unsure if what she feels is pleasure
      how will she understand or confirm if the discharge she is getting clean or requires ghusl? What if it was continuous and what if it comes out in different colors of the discharge

      As i have read
      The semen(maniy) of a woman/girl is thin and yellow and has a bad odour
      If it comes out and seen on the garment
      Ghusl is required
      But what if it was not seen in her underwear does she still have to do ghusl? Or is just washing the private part enough?

      Also if the fluid is white or transparent-like
      With a little bit of green/yellowish like fluid is with it but has no bad smell
      Is ghusl required?

      What if she was outside
      For example some place like the mall
      And there is no place there that she can perform ghusl
      How will she pray?
      They said if ghusl cant be performed then do tayamum
      But what if there is no clean dirt to be found nor water to perform ghusl and the time of prayer is almost over?
      How will she deal with it?

      • bird

        Sister, all I know is that if you have strong crazy desrire accompanied by contraction of the vagina/uterus and after these contractions directly you found discharges then ghusl is obligatory. But if there’s no crazy desire plus contraction plus discharges then why do ghusl?

        It’s okay if vaginal discharges have different colors. This is normal with all of us ladies. So don’t worry dear sister.

        By the way this crazy desire plus contraction of private part and then emission of discharges is called orgasm. During orgasm, a lady feels her heartbeats go faster and feels warmer. Plus contraction of private part then discharge.

        If that doesn’t happen then don’t bother yourself :)

        May Allah watching over you and make things easy for you and all muslims ameen

  7. Sister

    JazakAllahu khair!!

    This whole issue of white discharge is so cloudy.

    All this time I have been following the opinion that it invalidates wudu and subhanAllah this was so hard to follow. It opens the door to so many waswasas because when your praying you ‘think’ white discharge has been excreted so then you check and theres nothing there. Sometimes I would pray really fast before the discharge comes because the wudu facilities in public places aren’t so good or other times I would delay my prayer very close to its end time… But all this is just not practical especially when you are working outside!

    Alhamdulilah. This all makes sense. Closes the door to so many doubts, walhamdulilah.

    Nevertheless, I’ll still try to follow the majority opinion whilst I am at home and its easy for me but not when I go outside for work. It’s difficult and at times makes salah purification a burden for me ( May Allah forgive me and forgive us all )

  8. Hannah

    posting my comment again! didnt seem to work..

    thanks, love your insight and mercy! may Allah reward you for representing the women who have a trail of children at the mall doing who knows what while she makes wudu in a public restroom.

    also, just thought you might be intersted in this blog entry I found online. Some sisters and I were discussing the popular issue. The commentators of the blog have seem to miss the whole point of wudu. Just thought you might be interested to see what other believers believe.


  9. Dude

    Found the article very informative.. us guys arent usually allowed to stay in sessions that talk about women purification.

  10. Reader

    I am so glad that this article exists because for the longest time I am torn between making wudhu and not. I usually make wudhu for every single prayer, but sometimes it is hard when I am out. Plus discharge comes and goes or gets more and then not noticeable maybe. It’s so confusing! And I always feel funny when I think about the discharge as coming under the same ruling as semen… I will continue to make wudhu before each prayer as much as possible. I feel better when I do anyways.

  11. Sister

    JazakiAllah khair, this was so beneficial and much needed. I think this issue has plagued many sisters for so long. I always felt a little uncomfortable with the issue of discharge being compared to someone with urinary incontinence too, as I’ve read in some popular fatwas. Nonetheless I still tried my best to make wudu before the prayers, feeling anxious that my prayers might not be accepted if I did not, since from what I had always read the discharge did indeed break wudu. But this article really makes one think about this issue more.. and reading Shaykh Uthaymeen’s last fatwa about the issue, rahimullah, makes me feel alot more comfortable adopting this opinion about it. It definitely was difficult feeling like I could never be in a state of wudu for too long, before I would need to renew it!

  12. MuslimaCA

    JazakhiAllahu Khieran Umm Reem.
    This was very much needed. May Allah increase you in ilm.

      • Farah

        Salams Sister Reem, thank you for this article. I suffer from chronic yellow discharge and have seen doctors, had multiple tests (even a d&c)!, tried antibiotics and probiotics, used kursufs and pads…discussed the issue with male and female scholars…but still feel so overburdened, paralysed at times. The question of ” if I don’t repeat my istinja and wudu, my prayers may not get accepted”…this is one of the greatest causes of anxiety for me and discourages me from leaving my house. Cleansing oneself and repeating wudu is extremely difficult outside of the house.
        Since your last update, has there been any further discussion on this issue by the shayookh?
        Could this issue be re-visited and addressed by the scholars? I am trying to follow the majority opinion, but it is so very difficult and depressing.
        Thank you!

  13. Muslimah

    How about air that comes out from the vagina? Is that considered to invalidate wudu?

    * note: The air comes into to your body when you are sitting down etc and then when you stand up you can feel it pass. This air doesnt come from your body and is not the waste product of food + drink.

    I hope you can clarify this issue too!

    [ I know Islam QA says it doesn’t but I have heard other scholars say it does… not sure! ]

    • Yasir Qadhi

      Salaam Alaikum

      This air does not originally emanate from within the body but rather from without (as you yourself point out). Therefore in my humble opinion it has no bearing on one’s wudhu.

      Allah knows best…


      • Faiza

        JazakAllahu khair, Shaykh.

        So that’s two doubts cleared.

        JazakAllahu khair, Umm Reem, for bringing up this issue. It all makes sense.

  14. Samina

    jazaky Allahu khayrun Umm Reem! Masha’Allah this was a great article and very much needed! I appreciate you writing on so called taboo topics!

  15. Raniah

    I have to concur with the rest of the comments and say jazaki Allah khair for discussing this issue. It is something that isn’t addressed very often, and we, as women, need it to be!

  16. Ameerah

    JazakiAllahu khair for this article! If one of the MM Shuyukh would not mind sharing their reflections on the article and conclusion that would be highly helpful!

  17. Maheen

    Jazakillah sister! It’s as if you penned my very thoughts on this subject. Great article.
    Just a correction: Didn’t the women send their pads to Aisha r.a and not the Prophet sws?

  18. sabirah

    jazakhillah for the article, this was really necessary. I read the islamqa fatawa and they don’t make much sense.
    Women should give rulings about women issues, I found some of the text of the islamqa fatawa so ignorant of female issues that it was almost insulting to read

    • Umm Reem

      wa iyyaki….

      just a small correction, *I* am not issuing a fatwa, i am simply highlighting the other opinion from the people of knowledge…it seemed like that this opinion was not as vocalized as it should have been
      i myself am in no authority to issue verdicts….hope that’s clear…

    • Amal

      Yes, Islam q-a is hardly the authoritative site for any Muslim with an ounce of sense or of humanity. Such quotes as “Men are better than women” and ridiculous rulings stating that women shouldn’t drive because “men are more deserving” of the privilege, and that women should not be allowed to attend women’s-only gyms, book clubs, or social groups because they’ll annoy their husbands by talking about their own interests should be evidence enough that any opinion issued at the site is less than reliable and definitely not reflective of the majority of scholars’ opinions.

      • Sister

        Your post has really upset me Sister. I don’t know what your intentions are but it has really made me sad.

        IslamQA might have fatwas that you may not like but lets not forget that these fatwas are coming from reputable scholars who have sacrificed their lives for Islam, they are the ones who have inherited from the Prophet (S). It is not befitting for us to talk about them in such way.

        May Allah have mercy on ALL the scholars of Islam.

      • Sister

        Scholars at the end of the day are humans and they too make mistakes. Just remember this hadiths, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: â€œDuring judging a case, if the judge exerts an effort to reach the right judgment and he reaches it, he gets two rewards; and if he exerts an effort to reach the right judgment but he errs, he gets one rewardâ€ (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

        Read this too: islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaEAskTheSchola…

      • Amal

        My intention is to point out the woman-hating on Islam q-a.
        You’re upset by my post, yet not upset that men who purport to be scholars are belittling women and contradicting the rights we were given by our Creator? Put aside your awe of the scholars for a moment and have some rahma for your sisters who are being dehumanized by such men.
        Just because they’re scholars doesn’t mean no one can contradict them when they are obviously wrong and abusing their position.

      • Umm Reem

        @ Amal,
        true…scholars are humans and they can certainly make mistakes. But we must disagree in respectful way and definitely with proof/evidence.

        I am sorry if you found some answers on the site as harsh but I don’t think they were meant to dehumanize or belittle women, inshaAllah.

      • sabirah

        astaghfirullah, wasn’t my intention to upset anyone sister, i fully repect the shuyukh, and just said how I felt about it. maybe also a lot is lost in translation between the arabic and english

      • Umm Reem

        jazakAllah khair sister amal for sharing your thoughts :)

        Before i proceed, this article was not meant to be an islam-qa bashing piece. I hold that site in very high esteem and in fact consult it before i research elsewhere…no doubt the shayookh answering questions there are some of the most knowledgeable people of our time, rahimuhumallah.

        Sometimes i find the translation in English not a 100% match of what they say in Arabic and sound harsher than what they may be saying in real life… i know that these people are not misogynist neither will they hold back the rights from Muslim women that their Creator has granted them.

        At the same time, many of the answers that seem harsh deal with societal/social issues and lack any textual proof. When I was in US, even i used to find some of the answers quite harsh but only after moving to middle east did i realize that it is simply because of cultural differences.

        Don’t be mistaken. The women here are not oppressed or abused rather what seems normal to us is not normal for them and what is normal for them may not be normal for us. And for that reason, i highly recommend that for such issues we don’t refer to islam-qa but consult a local shaikh, and similarly eastern women should stick to their local shayookh and not refer to western opinions, wAllahu ta’ala ‘alam…

  19. africana

    yes, i think men, especially those without a medical background, should be really cautious about issuing fatwas relating to the intricacies of women’s physiology. a misundestanding on the part of scholars about vaginal discahrge might have unnecesarily pathologiesed and burdened some women. you can almost imagine some poor reader looking at this fatwa and saying, “so that’s why i have to stay in my home”..

    • Umm Reem

      yes i agree…people of knowledge should thoroughly consult the doctors and random women to get an idea before issuing verdicts….and at the same time if women find a fatwa difficult and burdensome than they should speak up and bring it to the scholar’s attention….

      I remember how Umar (ra) consulted his daughter, Hafsa (ra), when he heard a woman cry for her husband (who had gone with the army and hadn’t return for a long time, and she was crying that if it wasn’t for the fear of Allah she would have committed adultery….
      Umar (ra) upon hearing this, inquired from her daughter that how long a woman can “survive” without her husband and she said four months…then he issued a verdict that a soldier cannot stay beyond four months away from his wife…

      subhanAllah…indeed among the companions we find examples for us to follow….

      • Aideh

        Salaam, I heard that incident before as well. Do you have the source for it?

  20. Uthman

    jazakillah khair sister for the article. I just like to add that Shaykh Jamal discussed this issue in detail in his class on “Fiqh as Sunnah”. Here are the notes from the class.

    The inside of the female private part has a membrane which needs to be moist and discharges regularly.

    ? This is normal for every women.

    ? There is fluid in the women’s private part to keep the membrane moist.

    ? This can appear anytime and does not do anything with sexual matter and can appear many times a day. Diff for diff women.

    ? This fluid is coming from the membrane itself not from any other source.

    ? Is this impure or not ?

    o Abdul Aziz Bin Baaz, Salih Al Fawzan said it is impure.

    o Many of the scholars says that it is impure also breaks the wudu.

    o It is more similar to fluid that other parts of the body produce like sweat, spit, tears, since the place where it is coming from is the one which distinguished this fluid from the sweat and others. But the generation of this is similar that of sweat?.

    o Without any evidence we cannot say it is impure and it was inflicting at the time of Prophet (sallAllah u alayhi wasallam) as well i.e. ummul balwa(general affliction).

    o So it is pure and does not break the Wudu based on this principle.

    o Ibn Utahymeen of the opinion it is pure and it invalidates the wudu.

    o A Saudi Medical Doctor Ruqayyaih conducted 12 years of research on this before Sh. Ibn Uthaymeen died. She said once a young girl came to her and asked her what is the ruling on a female who does not wash of this discharge(which she mistakenly thought was sexual fluid) for 2 and half years.Finally Dr. Ruqayyah found out that the young lady was talking about the Female secretion. She researched on this issue, the source of it etc. and then she took her research to Sh. Ibn Uthaymeen an Sh Albani. Both Shuyookh changed their opinion that it is pure and does not require wudhu. Shaykh Bin Baz who she was not able to get to(because he passed away) held the opinion that it is impure and requires wudhu.
    (rahimahumullah ajma3een).

    o This issue has not been talked about in most of the Fiqh books. And Allah Knows Best.

    Classes start with Shaykh Jamal this Sunday inshAllah. Enroll online at http://www.jamaalzarabozo.com.

  21. ~T

    Surely these scholars have wives, and surely Islam has had women scholars at least in the past. If so why has there not been something comprehensive on this matter?

    Given half the ummah are women, as well as women being physiologically far more complex, I am surprised there isn’t a fuller detail on this matter, especially one that takes into account the practicalities of life.

    Also with advancements in understanding, it is reasonable to assume scholars may change their views based on this.

    The problem with something like Islam QA is that an answer can only be as good as the question and sometimes it is hard to draw out a useful answer if the full detail is not given. Perhaps we should rely more on establishing a local imam or student of knowledge for such questions so that we get the benefit of being able to explain in detail as well as provide context of the environment we live in.

    Allah knows best

    • Amal


      Perhaps because those who came before us had the good sense to realize that the naturally occurring and ever present fluid of the vagina (much like the moisture in one’s nose, or one’s saliva) is not filth. Since it’s so very obvious, perhaps they assumed that their descendants would also be rational and thoughtful enough to avoid obsessing over something so obviously natural and clean?

      • africana

        yes, that discharge is essential to vaginal health. the mucus membrane of the vagina maintains itself and the continuous discharge is but a completely natural and healthy result of this process.


  22. Arwa

    I recommend the book “Taking Charge of Your Fertility” by Tony Weschler to every woman out there. The book will teach you everything you need to know about your body, and goes into depth about vaginal discharge and how it is a perfectly natural and healthy part of the woman and her reproductive cycle. It is actually plays a key role in achieving pregnancy.

    In summary the author points out that unless the discharge has a bad smell or is any color beyond the normal (abnormal as in brown, greenish, red), it is a completely natural part of your cycle.

  23. africana

    how many women have been unnecessarily burdened by not questioning these rulings?

    unfortuantely, this ignorance of female physiology remains widespread even amongst women and that cuts across all faiths/groups. i was on a website once on which some of the women said that until fairly late in life, they actually thought they urinated out of their vaginas, a lot of women don’t fully understand the menstual cycle. i think the fact that women don’t question these rulings comes down to the fact that female genitalia is associated with impurity and false beliefs about menstrual blood being thought of as more highy polluting and toxic than other bloods. there is no basis for this in islam but in many societies these beliefs remain strong. look at the popularity of these potentially harmful douches and perfumes that are marketed to women in the west. in very many societies.

    so, it’s not jsut school boys with their false beliefs about erect nipples being a sign of sexual arousal (rather than a sign she’s freezing) but women themselves who need to be disabused of some of the myths concerning their genitalia.

    • sabirah

      i agree with you there, it is education and questioning things that get rid of ignorance. Ignorance in itself is nothing that is incurable, i’m for instance am quite ignorant about mathematics. Women are often even too shy to talk about these issues even with their own family, since I grew up in a household as almost the only female I did not have anyone I trust. Maybe that’s why I’d prefer to have fatawa about female things issued by females or even if it’s just advice. It always has a strange flavour when a male discusses female genitalia

  24. elham

    I read the title and remembered Sheikh Uthaymeen’s(rahimahullah) fatwa that it is pure after he’d consulted a doctor and he gave a logical reasoning for it,which is why I never had to think too much on the topic, Alhamdulilah.

    Jazakillahu Khairan ukhti.

  25. sarah

    Jazakum Allah khair for this fantastic article!!!!! I have just been stressing about this very issue and feeling handicapped by the fact that I couldn’t access any well-informed scholarship about the question. It just seemed absolutely improbable that Allah swt would require *all* women to be in a constant state of losing wudu! And the male scholars seemed totally unaware of the fact that *every* woman between puberty and menopause has continuous normal healthy vaginal discharge throughout the month – whether much or little….!

    Anyway thank you SO much for addressing this essential point.

  26. umm Ibrahim

    ma sha Allah, great and interesting read. I for one never knew some scholars considered regular normal vaginal discharge as nullifying the wudu subhannallah. This brings me to the question of abnormal vaginal discharge for example if one is having a yeast infection or something worse..and it changes color , odor or becomes more abundant.
    Is there any ruling on this?
    Jazakillah khair.

  27. umMaryam

    salamu ‘alaikum,

    before i had read this article (like 2 days ago), and apparently my husband had read it…he quizzed me, as he likes to : so, do you know if you have to make wudu for your vaginal discharges? Without even thinking I said, no, it never even occurred to me as necessary as it is just how women are. I never considered it najas or a cause to redo wudu. Then he smiled and said the majority of scholars have said it is but there’s an article on Muslimmatters that suggests what you have said.

    i just now read the article and I can totally relate to the point that the ansar women/sahabiyyat never asked this question…like, i would have never thought to ask either because it feels common sense that it’s a non-issue. not till i read this article did i realize it’s an issue that ppl have asked about.

    jazakillah khair for posting on this!

  28. iMuslim

    Jazakillah khair Umm Reem.

    I have to admit to being in the seriously confused camp when I started practicing. And yes, Hajj was hard for that reason!

    This topic reminds me of the need for more shaykhas (not sure of the plural of shaykha!). I have only met one in my life (knowingly), and perhaps the article will inspire more to step forward, insha’Allah. :)

  29. Mehdi Sheikh


    A very beneficial article Insha’Allaah. May Allaah increase Sister Umm Reem in benefit.

    I think that in many ways its good that the women of the Ansaar did not ask too many questions concerning these private matters. By leaving these questions unaddressed it left the matter upto the discrestion of the sisters themselves. Perhaps if the questions were raised the matter may have become restrictive and we’d have people claiming that a bunch of men gave us rules about somehting of which we had no idea.

    This also goes to show you the importance of having women raised as Aalimahs. Many men go out to seek knowledge of the deen but for many cultural, worldly and even practical reasons most women are unable to do so. Maybe in the future insha’Allaah.

  30. Ahmadhadith

    salam alaikum
    This case reminds me the practical method which the Muslim jurists adopted to treat some private matters of women. in more than one occasions scholars would ask their relative women to describe any matter naturally happening with them in explicit… before passing any decree or taking any stance.
    they would likely want to know the nature of matter, how it occurs, to what extent it affects ….. etc…. Allahu Akbar.
    the current article denotes the nature of this matter as well and how it occurs …and supports its stance with some verifications from the specialist. All these ways makes the finding more convincing. likewise, the article strictly makes use of some considerable rules of jurists in arriving to a decree on any matter…

    I concur with you on this fatwa as it is rightly proved and guided with the rules on which Islamic decree is based…Although, this article came as an abundant effort supporting the finding from Dr. Rukayyah Bint Muhammad Al-Muhaarib on the course. I read for the latter writer some months ago and when I found the current discussion I feel more contented to pass on this fatwa.

    Jazakillahu Khairan Umm Reem… and May Allah provide you with more knowledge and wisdom… put more effort and may Allah crown it for you with Aljannatul Firdous.

  31. UmMKY

    Jazak Allah Khair
    A truly beneficial article I struggle with this issue and have been considering myself in the state of Istihadha but good to know there are opinions outside the majority and good to see the opposing evidence. Also have been wondering about the air which enters and then leaves the vagina and wondered about its ruling JKK to Sh Yasir for addressing it.

    May Allah increase the female Ulama so that such important matters are also addressed for us.

  32. sabirah


    the whole discussion and some fatawa (not all, and with respect to the shuyukh who wrote it) reminds me of Al Baqara.
    Why? The whole surah is full of important commands and laws of Islam, but it is named after the story of the Cow sacrifice from chapter 67 onwards. This story explains how Allah commands Musa saw to sacrifice a cow but the jews found it so difficult to find a suitable animal. they went hugely into detail and made a fuss out of it that it was said that they almost didn’t sacrifice it. For me the naming of the surah indicates how important it is that the practice of Islam should be easy and hair splitting should be discouraged.
    This is about worship, and we should not overcomplicate things and not delay our salah or even tell women that they have to undergo hardship and do complicated things to be able to worship Allah swt.
    Just my thoughts you might not agree

  33. hayat

    Jezaki kair sister

    i thank you for this article , event though i agree with some and did not agree with other point,,, as i try to find this thing answer ,, alhamdu lilah i just use pad ,, and each azan time or before praying just go change the pad and clean and pray. rather than praying with discharge that will make my mind cleaner to pray. in imam shafi i heard it is nejes inpur in imam malik we can pray alahu aelem i heard it at mosqu.

    it is good rather than saying our shaks do not know bec they did not exprience it why???????? a lot of our deen has been transferd by man like prophet sahaba sososososo most of the thing they teach or told us did not experienc it our deen came directly from allah and jebril then who has to experienc the thing?????????

    mentiinig this subject is very good for all of us who are woman in this site alhamdu lilah but we realy has to be very carful how we address it… everything has a reason and allha only knows all reason .

    for me as having ragular discharge all the time … each time i do wudo sometime it is so diffuclut but i have hope that i will get more ager.. more reward. i do my best each time when i go out i just use any toilet just to change bad now days it is not hard there is a lot of things we can use . to protect our underwear.

    about hajje inchalla we can do our best to be clean and for that situwation we can pray or du our tewaf,,, that is hard i know but as u mention for those kind of siutuation those ayat u mention work. that he will not make things difficult for us .

    i know some girl bec of lazyness they just hold there wudu from zuhr till isha and conplain about discharg but allhau aeal any way think about it when u want to pray how one want to be clean is in that nice praying will ur so clean every were . for me i prefer every part of my body clean and even my anderwear wanted to be so clean to stand and pray and ask forgivness whth confidence.

    imagin praing with thos discharge for me as i mentioin it i can not do it , my heart can not let me even thou sometime it is not easy…. but as hajje and extrim difficult situwation i will do it. and .

    again sorry if i say any thing to hurt or any word of confution i,,,it is just my idea .

    fi amani lah and jezakilha jena

  34. amel

    JazakAllah for this article. It ended all my confusion and queries regarding this topic. thank u so much.

  35. Amatul Wadood

    Salam wart wabrt dear Umm Reem! :)

    JazakAllah Khair Alf for addressing this topic! i pray that AllahSWT grant you and your family relief in this world and akhira just like how you have bought relief to your sisters.ameen!

  36. Ali Al-Afghani

    Jazaki Allahu Khair. What about the qiyas the scholars use with regards to the discharge of women as it breaking the wudhu as is mentioned in Fiqhus-Sunnah

    “when Fatimah bint Abu Habash had a prolonged flow of blood, the Prophet told her, “If it is the blood of menstruation, it will be dark and recognizable. If it is that, then leave the prayer. If it is other than that, then make ablution and pray, for it is only due to a vein.” This is related by Abu Dawud

    To Yasir Qadhi and Umm Reem:

    Is this hadith not proof enough, that a discharge which is also out of her control just like the bleeding of Fatima was out of her control, to break the wudhu? In other words just like the bleeding was out of control for this women but she was still required to make wudhu, then a women with discharge out of her control should also make wudhu.

    I can understand if a person uses the general meaning of the ayah in which Allah says


    to pass a ruling that if the discharge happens while in prayer or while in tawaf, etc., but how could it be used for more specific scenarios like the one mentioned in this article.

    Also, if a person has a problem passing wind all the time, would they be exempt from making wudhu because of the general meaning of the above ayah?

    Lastly, I think we should abstain from giving “options” to bro/sisters to “choose” whish fatwa they can follow or what suits their needs best. These fatwas mentioned above was not to facilitate muslims in trying to suit their lifestyle of ease and comfort by picking and choosing. I think its very dangerous when we give that option to muslims where they can choose any fatwa they like and throw out the fatwa they dont like based on personal feeling rather than based on textual and fiqh understanding.

    Allah knows best!

    • Outstanding Muslimah

      Like Sr. Umm Reem mentions points out below – this comparison really doesn’t stand too well.

      Also when a sister is experiencing defective bleeding she has concessions to make things easy for her (because after all the bleeding is uncontrollable). I have learned from my teachers that if a sister has such defective bleeding (non menstrual bleeding) then she is to make ablution for each prayer. This wudu will be valid for the entire prayer time (even if she bleeds during this time) and as soon as the athan for the next prayer time comes in, it will be invalid (unless she invalidated it herself by relieving herself etc).

      The concession is applied because defective bleeding is something abnormal.

      Now the type of discharge being referred to here is absolutely different. If one does not have it then they are the ones considered abnormal…

  37. africana

    @ali al-afghani,

    assalamu alaikum,

    flatulence problems are different to vaginal discaharge in that, constant flatulence and/or incontinence (fecal and urinal) is due to ill health whereas the normal clear vaginal disccharge which most women and girls experience throughout the day is a natural by product of the fact of the vagina being a self-cleaning mucus membrane.
    to put this in slightly crude terms, this would neessitate numerous changes of underwear/sanitary protection daily.

  38. ummousama

    Assalamu alaikum,

    I haven’t read all the other answers but, as the sister said, unless there is a clear ruling on it, then you cannot use qiyas. I was given in Hajj a leaflet explaining the whole issue and it came to the conclusion of Umm Reem. Although a sister wrote the paper, it was given out by a Kuwaiti dawah organisation supervised by scholars known in Ahl-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah. Unfortunately, I do not have that leaflet anymore. :(

    For the brothers (and sisters), the female discharge is unique. The female discharge can be used as a very effective method of natural birth control. This means that the default is ALL women have it. So women who do not have it actually have a health problem. Its consistency varies during the cycle and, in the middle of the cycle, when the woman is most fertile, the nature of the discharge is that it is constant (or nearly) and very hard to wash off (as it looks like an egg white). In it is a sign from our Lord on how He wants to facilitate procreation. In the case of Fatimah bint Qays, the default is the absence of blood. In the case of men, the default is that there should be some kind of excitement as a prelude. In this case, the default is that it comes naturally, unsolicited and healthily.

  39. Umm Reem

    @ Ali al-Afghani:

    jazakAllah khair for pointing this out but I believe u r comparing apples with oranges. For continous bleeding post haidh/nifaas is “abnormalty” and the regular dischRge is a normal discharge. First is treatable, temporary and doesn’t happen to everyone, latter is considered normal in the world of ob/gyn and is permenant. There is a huge difference between the two….

    It’s like Comparing the normal syliva to bleeding in the gums!

    wAllahu ta’ala ‘alam

    • veejayjay

      nice comparison…
      Personally I would really prefer that males (unless you’re a scholar or gynaecologist) not participate in a discussion about the female bits, we girls can manage, thanks :D. However, if you really think you can contribute without embarassing yourself or coming across as know-it-all, had a gender change and used to be a woman, by all means..

  40. UmmHamzah

    Assalaamu Alaikum,Sister Umm Reem,
    Your article with regard to female discharges was really useful. I happened to read this article of yours after reading the one about your experience with regard to Exorcism.I did learn quite alot regarding menstrual issues in ” Female Menstruation In Islam” by Dr. Bilal Philips where He had given a whole chapter on Sheik Uthaymeen’s rulings on this issue.But certain issues became more clear after reading your article.As you said, I had always thought of how a woman could maintain her wudu for long durations when she goes out and especially during Hajj.Jazaallah for your article.

  41. UmmHamzah

    Salaam alaikum Sister,
    Sorry, the name of the book which Dr.Bilal Philips wrote was ” Islamic Rules on Menstruation and Post Natal Bleeding “.

  42. Aideh

    Jazakillahu kheira Umm Reem! I knew this knowledge theoretically but in application for some reason it never added up. subhanAllah now theory and application are finally connecting! Alhamdulillah.

  43. Sister

    I’m a teenager and i read that if you have sexual thoughts and you discharge that it breaks your wudu.
    Once i read this i was like ok i’ll refrain from these thoughts but for some reason it seems as though i’ve gone into a self destruction mode and these thoughts keep coming into my head. I don’t want them to and then i’m not sure if ive discharged or not because sometimes i wear pantilyners so i’m not sure.
    Other times i think i might think something of a sexual nature so i try and prevent myself from thinking it but my head becomes all weird and while i try and prevent it, it’s like my head says it anyway.
    I think i’v e turned myself into a paranoid person or shaytan has helped me become this way and i’m always so scared and im shaking at times because I don’t want to think of these things but it comes into my head and I don’t know what to do.
    Please can you help me or advise me about what to do. I apologise about such a long comment.

    • Sister in distress

      Sorry i forgot to add,
      can you explain what a sexual thought is please becasue I’m literally going crazy and it seeems as though im living my life in fear of thinking such a thing. I’m so stressed and im always doubting myself and whether or not i intended to think such a thing.


      • Umm Reem

        Sister in distress:

        I posed your question to our psychologist on board, Haleh Banani, and here is what she said:

        It’s perfectly natural to have these thoughts and I suggest you don’t focus too much attention and energy NOT to think about if. The way our mind works is that if you tell it not to do something that is the very thing it will do. For instance if I tell you don’t think about a pink elephant what happens? You will get obsessed about not thinking about it which essentially gets you more focused on it.

        Here is what you do:
        1. Say aothobillah whenever you get the thought

        2. As soon as you get the thought make a very powerful Dua- something like: grant me and the muslim ummah the highest level of Jannah, forgive the sins of all previous, present and future Muslims. Since this waswasa is coming from the shaytan he wants you to be preoccupied with these thoughts so you don’t think about Allah so if you apply reverse psychology by remembering Allah whenever you get the thoughts the shaytan will back off – this is very effective!
        I worked with a client who had a destructive thought and this ended it.

        3. Having the discharge is not such a big deal- just make sure you have pantyliner on and change it each time before wudo.

        4. Keep yourself busy doing constructive things, volunteer, visit the elderly, help with little kids and try not to spend too much time alone.

        5. Make positive statements about yourself and your situation:
        I am in control, this will all pass, everything will be just fine. The negative self-talk will lead to feeling catastrophic and the cycle gets worse and worse so take control of your thoughts by making positive statements.

        6. Don’t be so hard on yourself – stay away from anything that induces these thoughts: sexual movies, magazines, pictures etc. And surround yourself with pious friends

        7. Have Yaqeen that this will all pass

        8. Get up for tahajud and pray to Allah that he removes these thoughts until you get married and for Allah to provide you with a good spouse.

        May Allah ease your heart and help you get through this.


      • Sister in distress

        thank you so much :)
        I’ve taken your advice and insha’allah i’ll get better and get through this because I was on the verge of having a break down. My friend told me that Allah told us to look after ourselves and that our mental health is included in that too and that I should have faith in Allah and this helped me a lot too. Thank you again for replying quite quickly and may Allah reward you for helping me and I shall keep you in my dua’s insha’allah.

  44. Anonymous

    If after having intercourse, a wife takes a shower and later some semen comes out of her vagina, would that break her wudu? Or would she have to make ghusl again? and does she have to wash it off her underwear?

  45. Anon

    JazakAllah for the much needed article.
    Do you know if any of the four imams (Hanafi, Shafi’e, Maliki, Hambali) had the same opinion as Sh. Ibn Uthaimeen? The thing is, I want to be able to follow this opinion, and it does make sense to me, but I’m also afraid of falling into sin in case the opinion is incorrect.
    Please reply as soon as possible!

    • Umm Reem

      hmm…the only opinion i remember is of imam Ahmad’s. But i cannot recall the source right now.

      I do remember reading imam abu haneefa’s opinon but i forgot and i will have to check and go back to my research…

  46. sister in need

    Asalamu aleikum!

    I would like to ask you a question, that has been bothering me for a while. How do you know that your discharge is maniy or madhiy? I mean for me the discharge har different colors at different times of my life. How do you know that it is female secreation? I know that there are criterias but my discharge always seems to fill those criterias. I have alot of wiswas because of this.And exactly what type of feeling is it that you should have to actually secret maniy/madhiy? Im sorry that I have to be this franck but I have bno other choice, i would love an answer if anyone has one

  47. sister in need

    And I forgot, I didn’t know that something came out of the women after she urinated. What are u suppose to do after urinating and you have to pray afterwards? Are you suppose to wait for something to come out? And what if its not the discharge that is associated with urination?

    • Umm Reem

      sister in need,
      sorry for a delayed reply!

      If you are referring to mani/madhi as described in the answers on islam-qa, then in all honestly, i have no idea what they are talking about. I have asked a ob/gyn myself and even she couldn’t understand.

      So here it is to make it simple, insahAllah, and Allah knows best.

      Consider everything a regular discharge, unless it is followed by a sexual arousal either by thinking about sex, or touching. If that happens then renew your wudu.
      If the sexual arousal is followed by an orgasm than you make ghusal.

      If you have a blook-like spotting, brownish or some dark color, while you are ovulating or pmsing, then renew your wudu, and Allah knows best.

      As for any secretion after urination, i don’t know about that. Maybe it is being refered to the regular vaginal discharge, in which case again, i do not believe that it breaks your wudu. and Allah knows best.

      I hope it helps.

      • sister in need

        Jazakallahu khair sister, So you don’t have to wash yourself if you have dishcarge after sexual arousel, not even if you get it on your clothes? Is it the same thing with the brownish discharge while pmsing and ovualting that you don’t need to wash yourself?

        Thank you again

  48. Mantiki

    No need for embarrassment sister but seek your answer from a doctor or sex counsellor. And don’t worry about prayers in this instance. God is interested in your heart and spirit – not in your plumbing.

  49. a mother

    As salam alaikum

    Ive been muslim for nearly 9 yrs and if any male is to issue at fatwa on me saying that the natural discharge of a woman is najis, then i simple have to ask “why did Allah allow it to happen and then place a woman in extra burden to be pure every single minute of the day ?… is impossible to be clean 24/7”

    Islam is simple..we dnt have sexual urges everytime discharges drops out of us so therefore in my opinion it not najis.

    Islam is easy, Allah is Merciful & men with chauvanist manners make islam hard on women.

    Alhamdulillah its not in Quran and not in hadiths..

    Pray on ladies.

  50. Asma

    It’s a crisp consolidated article. May Allah reward you for putting in efforts of researching, compiling, writing and sharing it with rest.



  51. aysha



    I dont understand what an orgasm is..sometimes i have sexual thoughts running in my hand and feel the need to touch the area.and suddenly stop it and dont feel the need anymore.Do i need to make ghusl or wudu is enough? Please answer my question as i am having this doubt from a long time


  52. Tricia

    This article highlights many things:

    1) the need for female scholarship

    2) the need for females who are willing to question even what the 4 Imams said…you are a woman, you know best. Discharge, as someone mentioned, is actually a cleansing of the uterus. We should say alhamdulillah for this cleansing. Since it is a continual cleansing, do you really expect us to make continual wudu? That means we’d never be able to make 2 prayers on the same wudu, unlike men. Allah laa yureed al usr—-“Allah does not intend for you hardship”

    3) the madrasa system needs an update and even many scholars know this. Memorizing inherited opinions is fine, but it shouldnt replace ongoing thought and intellectualism. I stop consulting fatwas on matters of women’s reproduction because some of the statements I have seen were just plain embarassing and incorrect. If you are going to issue a fatwa that affects millions of women at least take the time to read up a little on these issues!

    4) someone mentioned that there is even ignorance among women who think they urinate from their vagina…subhanallah. If this is the case for women, what about for young boys who are more likely to grow up to be scholars?

  53. KM


    SubhaanAllah… I was recently thinking: I really wish I could hear the opinion of a *woman* of knowledge on this matter, so I am grateful to have come across this article, alhamdulillah.

    I have read probably every question on IslamQA even remotely relating to this matter, and I even posed the question to a shaykh once, and somehow, it just didn’t seem right to have to make wudu before every prayer when probably all females have this discharge regularly. At the same time, I didn’t want to just discard this opinion that nearly every shaykh seemed to have, just because of my own feeling/reasoning. Alhamdulillah, you have made things more clear to me. Especially since I wasn’t completely aware that there are shuyookh with the opinion that regular discharge does not affect wudhu– particularly Yasir Qadhi’s note, because the only thing I had heard from him before was relating the opinion that it is better to make wudhu each time. I respect your opinions and evaluations, sh.YQ

    (I also agree that part of the reason for such confusion is that even women are not aware of everything. I myself didn’t know that all women had regular discharge; I thought I was “different” for a long time, until I heard an OBGYN discussing it once)

    JazaakumAllahu khayran for discussing this in detail and making things more clear.

  54. Umm Yahya

    As salaamualaykum,

    How may i ask a question to Sister Umm Reem?

  55. Umm Yusuf93

    If a woman feels desire, for like a few seconds, and then it dissapears, then she feels something coming out, is this thought of as madhiy?

      • Guest

         when waking up I almost always see discharge: do I have to wash this off in order to do wudhu? Should I worry that the discharge is from arousal?

      • zainab omar

        i have so many problems and doubts with tahara and salah ,i spend so much time on the bathroom and waste so much water ,i have doubts if i had a wet dream or if madhi came out ,i completely dont understand madhi and i dont know how to know if it came out and if it reached my pants or dress or not,my underwear is always wet and thier is the normal discharge, so i sprinkle everything and i become completely wet every time and this has caused me a huge problem ,i have dirty thoughts through out the whole day ,but i dont want to have them they are forced ,but i dont know if madhi comes out , it happens when i wudu too and when am praying ,dirty thoughts came, but i dont know know if madhi comes out ,do i have to sprinkle everything in every prayer time? ,does it reach my pants? how do i know if it did ?if am out of the house and i cant use the toilet can i just wudu and pray ? i also take alot of time to wudu because i have doubts and i need to make it perfect, i usually spend more thien an hour for each prayer ,sometimes less ,sometimes more ,and i also have doubts with pee drops .please help i cant ask my parents or anyone .

  56. Humairah Ibrahim

    i am a malaysian studying in egypt, and i do spend a lot of time outside home. however, i practice the opinion by majority of scholars.

    i change my undergarments (by changing panty liners), then find a place to renew my wudu (mostly we take wudhu at the sink), and then find a place to pray.

    Alhamdulillah we can do it here, even it is difficult to find a good, working public toilet in egypt.

  57. sal

    thank you soo much! i am battling with this issue every single day of my life and none of these fatwas make sense. may Allah reward you. Ameen

  58. Nur

    jazak’Allahu khairan sister, very precious knowledge.. may Allah Ta’ala blesses you dear..

  59. Fultufake

    i stopped reading namaz for this reason when i grew up… it was extremely difficult to keep doin wudhu an to keep changing clothes.. thanks for this article… it helped me a lotttt….

  60. United_we_stand99

    Assalamu alaikum. JazakAllahu khairan for this useful article! Quick clarification – I assume the regular discharge you are talking about also includes that which is secreted during pregnancy? I think (as happened to me) womens white discharge increases during pregnancy. Also do you know if a pad etc needs to be worn before prayer as this is something in read on Islamqa and didnt understand why (if this discharge is considered tahir)?

    • Umm Reem

      Some shayookh on islamqa do not consider the discharge as pure and perhpas you read the fatwa by a shaikh with similar belief and he suggested to wear a pad, Allahu ‘alam…

  61. JA

    Masha’Allah. May Allah bless you and your family for this logical and reasonable article. I wish all shuyukh would read and think about this article. When I asked one during hajj about discharge, he said it is considered najis and didn’t mention any disagreement on the issue. I think this is definitely an unreasonable hardship. Also, the premise that women’s discharge is the same as men’s seems to fundamentally contradict our scientific knowledge. 

    In addition to what you mention, another thing that bothers me about the issue is that if we consider discharge to be najis, then either we use about five underwear per day or use and dispose of five pantiliners per day. Both assume a financial luxury and the latter is especially bad for the environment. 

  62. Confused

    I agreed wit most of what ur saying and only recently found out that d majority of scholars think female discharge to be impure. It’s hard to wash and change for salat every time. It is so hard to go tru 5 under wears a day. Also I cannot wear panty liners, as I am allergic to them and can only wear cotton underwear. With the cotton underwear, u sometimes cannot tell if dere is white discharge or not because wen u wash cotton, it looks d color of d underwear plus white inside and out because that is just d way the material is. I am even thinking of not going to uni because of this problem, I cannot use public restrooms especially when there is urine on d seat and floor which is often d case. I don’t knw what to do because although I agree with what u r saying, I am afraid by not following d views of d majority of scholars, I wud b disobeying Allah and I will b unclean and my salaah wud not be accepted. I am sooo afraid, how can I go against d view of the majority and still hav a life? This ruling by the scholars r so hard for me that I’m reduced to tears and for d first time I feel as a second class Muslim because I am a woman. I do not knw what to do, I am sooo confused, please help?

  63. SisterR

    I fully support your opinion that its normal and does not break wudu, and I will not believe any scholar who tells me regular vaginal discharge is najis. A urethral discharge from a male will carry the impurities of the urethra with it. A discharge from a female vagina carries only the normal vagina flora. It serves the same purpose as sweat/sebum, nasal mucus, saliva, etc with a few other benefits specific to the reproductive system.
    If a runny nose is not najis than why would vaginal fluids, designed also for protection against outside organisms, be haram?

  64. jamilla

    Thanks a lot for your valuable opinion. I am also the one who have lot of vaginal discharge. For example, after I have finished performed farthal maghrib and when I am going to the sunnatal maghrib, I will suddenly feel that I have vaginal discharge. That really disturb me and don’t know whether I need to have wudu again or not. If I am at home, that’s convenient to take wudj again. But if am outside, it’s really difficult for me.

  65. Muslimah

    Asalamu alaikum, sister umm reem I love u for the sake of Allah! Jazakillah for clearing the doubts of a much complicated topic :)
    I have one question though.
    Sister is the discharge that comes out after sexual thoughts impure in itself though? As in in addition to renewing wudu, do we also have to clean and wash the discharge off our undergarments or can we pray with the discharge after making a new wudu?


  66. umm esa

    I thank Allah for guiding me to this article, and I make dua for Umm Reem who did the research. Wallahi, this has made my life easier.

  67. SadSister

    I feel a second class Muslim because I have been cut at a very young age. I suffer regularly from excessive bleedings and excretions, which make me even more impure. Is there anyone out there who can help or give advice? May Allah reward you.

  68. Coordinator Welearnislam.com

    Asalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

    Please Umm Reem, I have been looking for your contact information in regards a request to some notes you had published before on a blog.

    Could you please contact me inshallah? I would be very grateful.

    Jazakallah khair!


    I am confused Sisters! I found this article and it is such a relief bt i feel like if i dnt do wudu after discharge than my prayer will be invalid-this scares me soo much! I prayed ASR then 10 min later it was Maghrib. Usually I check but this time I didnt ( i was hoping that not checking would save me time and no discharge would come) i prayed then before i used the bathroom, i checked and saw yellow discharge( which i think is normal) . I then found this article so i didnt redo my prayer like i normally wld. I feel bad though but doing wudu 5 times a day bcuz discharge is a hardship because i feel i cant go anywhere and it wastes alot of water. Did my wudu break? I feel so baaaad but at the same time I couldnt get myself to redo my prayer.. Thanks

  70. newmuslim

    Salam aleikum dear umm Reem. Please dont miss my question Insh Allah, as i noticed there is another sister asked something similar but wasnt answered. Your article is very nice, hope it is the truth as Allah knows best. First i felt i understand but now i am confused and therefore would like to ask you Insh Allah this:
    1) so madhiy require to make new wudu, but do they require to change underwear and wash private parts? Is there a hadith about that?
    2) all kind of whadiy dont require to make new wudu? Because its what i understood first, then saw your comment that blood-like, brown or some dark color require wudu during ovulation or pmsg. So again, are all discharges are not requiring wudu or only those that are white? what about yellow ones?
    3) what if i have sometimes white, brown or yellow discharges not during ovulation or pmsg? do i have to make new wudu then?
    4) what if i have white, yellow or brown dischrages because i got cold or sick (infection or something else), do i still have to make wudu?
    5) how to know if your discharges are from cold, infection or just normal ones and are only discharges during ovulation normal and the rest are not?
    6) what if discharge has a sme and is white or yellow or brown, do i have to make wudu?
    7) if all the cases i wrote above are clean discharges and require no wudu its ok, but if for some cases you say we have to make new wudu, pls specify also if we have to change our underwear and wash privates parts together with making new wudu.
    i ask you to answer with hadith or just a statement that there is no hadith like that (so no clear prohibition). Sorry its a long comment, but needed one. Thank you in advance and may Allah bless you.

    • Brother

      Sister If your discharge is not clear or whitish and has a color to it then it is not normal and most likely will have a bad odor. Now I am not a scholar or do not have any authority or knowledge to give you firm answer islamicasly but in my opinion that would not be pure as it is not natural and therefore would require you to do wudhu and cleansing. You also need to see a doctor if those things exist as they could be infections. Allah knows best.

  71. UmmIsmaeel

    Could you please give a reference to where you got the fatwa regarding discharge from sheikh utheymeen who setteled on the agreement that it is pure and also could you clarify who shaykh Yusuf al-Qasim is because I tried to research but I couldn’t find anything regarding his name. Barakallah feek

  72. Ramadan Day 6 | Psychedelic Spinster

    […] I read Quran and my book. I washed the sahoor dishes late (my mum got very angry at me). I knocked out for two hours and was dead to the world during Zuhr. I revised surat Al-balad (from the Quran) and came across an article on vaginal discharge. […]

  73. Zahra

    I would just like to thank you sister from the bottom of my heart for this thoughtful and wonderful piece you have written. I have just stumbled across this article whilst trying to work this issue for myself and could not agree with your thoughts any more. It is truly female understanding and perspective such as this that so many of us ladies in this ummah are sorely missing. May Allah reward you with the highest Jannah, ameen.

    It always breaks my heart a little when I, seeking knowledge myself, find sisters struggling and searching for answers like myself from brothers on issues such as discharge/menstruation and other highly private and personal things. Matters most of us would be embarrassed to discuss with even our own relatives. Whilst we need to obtain our knowledge from someone capable and learned, and should never be shy in doing so even if this happens to be a man, it seems sad that we cannot generally find educated sisters to assist us as a first port of call, especially in this day and age. Not only due to our modesty and shyness discussing such things (especially with the opposite sex), but also because, as you pointed out so well, women just know women’s issues better- and issues such as this are complete proof.

    Men can never truly understand the struggles of women on such issues, and rightly so, as they lack first hand experience of the female anatomy. With the same token, a man would far better understand an intimate male issue. You are also right, there seems to be a general lack of compassion, which though I am sure is completely unintentional, is nonetheless very frustrating indeed. Thank you once more for your article, I really love the fact you quoted the holy Quran as well as sheikhs so that we could formulate a very logical and appropriate opinion on what seems closest to the truth.

    May Allah reward you again sister.
    Asalam wa alaikum.

  74. Brother

    What a great Article. I am in a medical Student and my first thought before reading the article was that it should not be impure since it is a normal thing for the body to do. Its a simple way of keeping the genital area clean and healthy. In my opinions the sisters should never be ashamed of asking such questions and I was surprise to find out about this from my fiancé. She embarrass to ask me this question. I just looked up for islamic answers regarding the issue to help in comforting her and came across this excellent article. I am really happy to see our muslims sisters and brothers to address such issues. The muslim brothers like myself also need to educated about such issues. Thank You and May Allah bless you with more knowledge.

  75. camilla

    Thanks for an excellent article – according to Maliki madhab, the female discharge is not najis – so if you stick to Maliki madhab – you won’t have these issues. :-)

  76. Help

    What if a woman ever knew that the vaginal discharge due to sexual arousement required wudu? Should she repeat her life’s salahs?

  77. Yusuf Smith

    As-Salaamu ‘alaikum,

    I know this is four years old, but …

    If you look on Google you will find advice according to both the Hanafi and Shafi’i madhhabs on this on the Qibla (formerly SunniPath) website. Faraz Rabbani said that in the Hanafi madhhab, the persistent discharge of women is taahir and she has no need to change her underwear or repeat wudhu. The Shafi’i ruling on the same site advised women to follow the Hanafi ruling on this matter, as the Shafi’i ruling is that it is impure. This practice of talfeeq in specific rulings is quite common. (Another example is that the Hanafi ruling, that a woman whose husband goes missing cannot remarry for 80 years, is disregarded in favour of the Maliki ruling of four years.)

    It should also be remembered that the Sahaba had fewer items of clothing than we do and the kind of undergarments women wear nowadays had not been invented. They wore a long dress, sometimes with a pair of trousers underneath. Many of them only had one or two (some would have had a dress reserved for wearing during their periods, as a hadith I have seen mentions that Sayyidatuna A’isha did). It would have been quite infeasible for them to change their clothes whenever they had a discharge, as they all would have done, much as women do today. If there is no record of them changing their clothing regularly, there should be no question of women doing this today. And Allah knows best.

  78. proud to b a muslim

    please can u tell me whether we have to do ghusl for this discharge or wudhu can make us pure as i am feeling wet quite a lot in a day and i can not do ghusl every other day ? please clear this information please . i leave salah becuz i think dat we need to do ghusl please this is a very urgent matter waiting for the reply desperately
    please give a clear answer

    • proud to b a muslim

      and i forgot another thing . even when i get seduced this happens i dont know wat to do !!

  79. Sister

    Asaalamo alaikom sister

    Isn’t discharge from sexual thoughts the same as the normal discharge? How can you differ between them?

    Will it break the wudu?

  80. Diya

    Thank You For the article .
    very Useful and Much Needed…

  81. Imrana

    JazakAllahu Khair….Very helpful article….keep up the good work!

  82. Maisara

    Salam, i just want to inquire, what if a female reach climax, accompanied with the feeling of fatigue and weak and the other signs of orgasme, but doesnt discharge maniy , instead she just discharges madhi. Would that said female need to perform ghusl?

  83. thohirah

    maisara..I’ve gone through the comments and I do think that as long as there are features of orgasm..indeed that discharge is of parable to maniy. if that climax is attained with even contact between female and male private parts you will still eventually need ghusl anyway.

    but my question is..what if a wife, was fondling with her husband. so the man, has touched her lower private parts just by using the hands, and then for whatever reason it doesn’t process to actual intercourse. so the question that follows is, the man has touched the female secretion, and if afterwards he went elsewhere in the home, touching doorknobs staircase and others…so if he forgot to wash the hands after he touches that fluid, does any other things he touch needs to be cleaned?what about his clothes?

  84. Maryam

    Masha Allah
    I would also like to add to this matter; vaginal discharge is normally an every moment of the day thing.
    So if this was the month of Ramadan, and we, the sisters are fasting. Does this mean that our regular discharge will invalidate our fast?
    So it is just sheer indifference to the Muslim women to condemn any Natural occurrence in our body.
    This is something beyond our control, blessed by Allah.
    I believe that wudu should always be renewed for each and every prayer on normal circumstances.
    It won’t take much out of us to renew our wudu, especially if we are in the public because a lot of things can break your wudu when you’re around people and it’s almost impossible to stay pure considering the number of sins a Muslim commits per day.


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