following the fifth day in every month. And if she sat for three days in Ramadan, she must make up five days, because the fasting was a liability upon her, and we do not know that the two days she fasted discharged (13) the obligation from her liability; therefore, it remains according to the original state. It is also possible that three ghusls are required of her in every month: a ghusl after (14) the third day, a ghusl after the fourth, and a ghusl after the fifth, because she has a ghusl required of her after the fourth day in one of the months, and every month is potentially the month in which a ghusl is required after the fourth, so it becomes incumbent upon her as we said regarding the fifth. If the variation is without order, such as if she menstruates for three days in one month, five in the second, and four in the third, and the like, then if this can be managed and it becomes a habit for her in a way that does not fluctuate, the ruling is the same as the one before it. But if it is not manageable, she sits for the minimum from each month, which is three [days] if she has no minimum less than that, and she performs ghusl thereafter. Ibn Aqil mentioned in this section that the analogy of the school is that there is a second narration, which is that she sits for her maximum habit in every month, like the one who has forgotten the number, for she sits for the maximum of menstruation. This is not correct, as it entails ordering her to abandon prayer and dropping it from her despite our certainty of its obligation upon her. For if we order her to abandon prayer for five days every month, while we know its obligation upon her for two of them in one month, and for one day in another month, then we have ordered her to abandon a prayer that is certainly obligatory, and that is not permissible. Obligatory prayer does not fall away due to confusion, like someone who forgot a prayer from a day but does not know its specific time. It differs from (15) the woman who has forgotten, for we do not know of any prayer obligatory upon her with certainty, and the fundamental principle is the persistence of menstruation and the cessation of prayer, so she remains upon that.

Section: A woman does not become a possessor of a habit until she knows her month and the time of her menstruation and purity. A woman’s month is an expression for the duration in which she has menstruation and purity, the minimum of which is fourteen days: she menstruates for one day and is pure for thirteen. And if we say: the minimum period of purity is fifteen