So when the impurity ceases, it is obligatory that the menstruation should also cease. Ibn Abbas said: "As for when she sees the Bahraani blood, she should not pray; and when she sees purity for an hour, let her perform ghusl." Aisha said: "Do not be hasty until you see the qassah al-bayda' (white discharge)." Furthermore, she fasted while she was pure, so making it up is not incumbent upon her, just as if the blood had not returned. As for their statement: "Blood flows at times and stops at others," we say: there is no consideration given to slight cessation; it is only when there is a significant cessation during which prayer and fasting are possible and worship can be performed, that it becomes obligatory upon her, due to the absence of any impediment to its obligation.

[The second section]: If the blood returns to her, it is either that it returns during her habit or after it. If it returns during the habit, there are two narrations regarding it: First, that it is part of her menstruation, because it coincides with the time of the habit, so it is similar to what happens if it had not stopped. This is the school of al-Thawri, the People of Opinion (Ashab al-Ra'y), and al-Shafi'i. Second, it is not menstruation, which is the apparent view in the speech of al-Khiraqi, the preference of Ibn Abi Musa, and the school of Ata', because it returned after a valid purity, so it is similar to what happens if it returned after the habit. According to this narration, its ruling is the ruling of what would happen if it returned after the habit, as we will mention [later], if Allah the Exalted wills. It has been narrated from Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him: If her days are ten, and she sat for five, then she saw purity, she performs prayer; then when it is the ninth or eighth day, and she sees blood, she prays and fasts, and she makes up the fasting. This is by way of precaution due to the existence of uncertainty regarding this blood, so it is similar to the blood of a woman in nifas (postnatal bleeding) that returns during the period of nifas. If she sees it during the habit and it exceeds the habit, it must be either that it exceeds the maximum of menstruation or it does not. If it exceeds the maximum of menstruation, it is not menstruation, because part of it is not menstruation, so the whole of it is istihadah (irregular bleeding), because it is connected to it, so it is closer to it. Attributing it to istihadah is closer than attributing it to menstruation due to its separation from it. If it stops at the maximum [duration] or less, then whoever says: "What does not exceed the habit is not menstruation," then this is more worthy of not being menstruation. And whoever says: "It is menstruation," then there are three aspects regarding his opinion on this: one of them is that all of it is menstruation, based on the aspect we mentioned regarding the fact that an increase over the habit is menstruation, as long as it does not...