Question 01:
What do respected Islamic scholars say about the following issue? There was a woman who was keeping the Siyam [i.e. fasts] of expiation for invalidating a Sawm. Before she could keep all sixty Siyam, her menses started. After the menses ended, she did not keep the Sawm the next day because of attending a ceremony. Having returned from the ceremony, she kept the Sawm the next day. The question is, will her expiation be valid or not in this case?
بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ وَسَلَّم
اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ
Answer
In the situation mentioned in the question, the expiation is not valid. If a missed Sawm is to be expiated by keeping Siyam, then it is a condition that the Siyam of expiation must be kept consecutively. However, a woman when experiencing menses is forbidden by Shar’iah from keeping Siyam. In this case, after her menses have ended, she must resume keeping Siyam right from the next day. In this way, she will keep the remaining Siyam and her expiation will be valid. If she misses the Sawm even a single day after the menses end, as is mentioned in the question, then her expiation will not be valid even though she keeps all the remaining Siyam. It is now obligatory for her to keep all Siyam again. (Rad-dul-Muhtar, vol. 5, pp. 142)
وَ الـلّٰـهُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُهٗ اَعْلَم صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم
Wearing white clothes and combing hairs during Iddat
Question 2:
What do respected Islamic scholars say about the following issues?
1. It’s a custom in our family that a woman, going through ‘Iddat for the demise of her husband, wears only white clothes. Is a woman really commanded to wear only white clothes?
2. Is it permissible to comb hairs during ‘Iddat?
بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ وَسَلَّم
اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ
Answers :
1. Wearing only white clothes is not necessary for the woman going through ‘Iddat. She is allowed to wear clothes in other colours as well. However, it is Wajib to refrain from wearing clothes in colours that are worn for beauty such as red, etc. Furthermore, she is also not allowed to wear new clothes in any colour. (Fatawa ‘Aalamgiri, vol. 1, pp. 533)
2. It is not permissible to comb hairs during the ‘Iddat period. However, if there is some valid excuse such as headache, then it is allowed to comb hairs without the intention of beauty. But she can use only the thick teeth side of the comb, not the thin teeth one. (Rad-dul-Muhtar, vol. 5, pp. 222; Fatawa Razawiyyah, vol. 13, pp. 331; Bahar-e-Shari’at, vol. 2, pp. 242)
وَ الـلّٰـهُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُهٗ اَعْلَم صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم
Ruling on Salah during which menses start
Question 03 :
What do respected Islamic scholars say about the following issue? If an Islamic sister starts experiencing menses during Salah, then will she have to offer this Salah again later on?
بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ وَسَلَّم
اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ
Answer:
In the situation mentioned in the question, if bleeding starts during the Salah, then she is exempted from that Salah. In other words, she is not required to offer it as Qada after she has gained purity. However, if she experiences this condition during a Nafl Salah, then she must offer it as Qada after she has gained purity. (Bahr-ur-Raa`iq, vol. 1, pp. 356; Fatawa Razawiyyah, vol. 4, pp. 349; Bahar-e-Shari’at, vol. 1, pp. 380)