Ahmad said regarding an older woman who sees blood: "It is not menstruation; it is in the position of a wound, and if she performs ghusl (full ritual bath), it is good." 'Ata' said: "She is in the position of a mustahada (woman experiencing irregular bleeding)." The meaning of both statements is one and the same; this is because if this blood is not menstruation, it is blood of corruption (fasad), and her ruling is the ruling of the mustahada and the one who suffers from urinary incontinence, according to the ruling we have previously mentioned regarding them.
Section: The minimum age at which a woman menstruates is nine years; for a young girl does not menstruate, based on the evidence of the saying of Allah the Exalted: {And those who have not yet menstruated} [Surah al-Talaq: 4]. Also, because the reference in this matter is to existence, and it has not been found that women habitually menstruate at an age below this. Furthermore, menstrual blood was only created by Allah for the wisdom of nurturing a fetus through it; therefore, one who is not fit for pregnancy does not have its wisdom found within her, so it is negated due to the negation of its wisdom, like semen, for they are close in meaning. One of them is that from which a child is created, and the other nurtures and nourishes it, and neither one of them is found in a young child, and its existence is a sign of puberty. The minimum age at which a young girl reaches puberty is nine years, so that was the minimum age at which a young girl menstruates. It has been narrated from 'A'isha that she said: "If a young girl reaches nine years of age, she is a woman." This has also been narrated as a marfu' (elevated) hadith to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and what is intended by it is that her ruling is the ruling of a woman. This is the view of al-Shafi'i. It has been narrated from him that he said: "I saw a grandmother who was twenty-one years old." This indicates that she became pregnant before ten years of age, and her daughter became pregnant at a similar age. According to this, if a nine-year-old girl sees blood, she leaves off prayer, because she has seen it at a time that is fit for menstruation. If it continues for a day and a night, it is menstruation by which her puberty is established, and we establish in it all the rulings of menstruation. If it ceases before that, it is blood of corruption, by which nothing of what we have mentioned is established. If she sees blood before nine years of age, it is blood of corruption in all cases, because it is not permissible for it to be menstruation. Al-Maymuni narrated from Ahmad regarding a ten-year-old girl who saw blood, he said:
(4) Surah al-Talaq: 4. (5) Omitted from M. (6) Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter on What Has Been Related Regarding Coercing an Orphan Girl into Marriage, from the Chapters on Marriage. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 5/29. (7) In M: "and it is established."
أحمدُ، في المَرْأَةِ الكَبِيرَةِ تَرَى الدَّمَ: لا يكونُ حَيْضًا، هو بِمَنْزِلَةِ الجُرْحِ، وإنْ اغْتَسَلَتْ فحَسَنٌ. وقال عَطَاءٌ: هي بمَنْزِلَةِ المُسْتَحَاضَةِ. ومعنى القَوْلَيْنِ وَاحِدٌ؛ وذلك لأنَّ هذا الدَّمَ إذا لم يكنْ حَيْضًا فهو دَمُ فَسَادٍ، وحُكْمُها حُكْمُ المُسْتَحَاضَةِ ومَنْ به سَلَسُ البَوْلِ، على ما مَرَّ حُكْمُهُما.
فصل: وأَقَلُّ سِنٍّ تَحِيضُ له المَرْأَةُ تِسْعُ سِنِينَ؛ لأنَّ الصَّغِيرَةَ لا تَحِيضُ، بِدَلِيلِ قولِ اللهِ تعالى: {وَاللَّائِي لَمْ يَحِضْنَ} (٤). ولِأنَّ المَرْجِعَ فيه إلى الوُجُودِ، ولم يُوجَدْ مِن النِّسَاءِ مَنْ يَحِضْنَ عادَةً فيما دوُنَ هذا السِّنِّ، ولأنَّ دَمَ الحَيْضِ إنَّما خَلَقَه اللهُ لِحِكْمَةِ تَرْبِيَةِ الحَمْلِ به، فمَنْ لا تَصْلُحُ لِلْحَمْلِ لا تُوجَدُ فيها حِكْمَتُه، فيَنْتَفِى لِانْتِفَاءِ حِكْمَتِه كالمَنِىّ، فإنَّهما مُتَقَارِبانِ في المَعْنَى، فإنَّ أَحدَهُما يُخْلَقُ مِنه الوَلَدُ، والآخَرُ يُرَبِّيهِ ويُغَذِّيه، وكُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنهما لا يُوجَدُ مِن صَغِيرٍ، ووُجُودُهُ عَلَمٌ على البُلُوغِ، وأقَلُّ سِنٍّ تَبْلُغُ له الجارِيَةُ تِسْعُ سِنِينَ، فكان ذلك أقَلَّ سِنٍّ تَحِيضُ له الجارية (٥)، وقد رُوِىَ عن عائشة أنَّها قالتْ: إذا بَلَغَتِ الجَارِيَةُ تِسْعَ سِنِينَ فهى امْرَأَةٌ (٦). ورُوِىَ ذلك مَرْفُوعًا إلى النَّبِيِّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-، والمُرَادُ به حُكْمُها حُكْمُ المَرْأَةِ. وهذا قَوْلُ الشَّافِعِىِّ. وقد حُكِىَ عنه أَنَّه قال: رَأَيْتُ جَدَّةً بِنْتَ إحْدَى وَعِشْرِينَ سَنَةً. وهذا يَدُلُّ على أَنَّها حَمَلَتْ لِدُون عَشْرِ سِنِينَ، وحَمَلَتْ ابْنَتُها لمِثْلِ ذلك. فعلى هذا إذا رَأتْ بِنْتُ تِسْعِ سِنِين دَمًا، تَرَكَتِ الصَّلَاةَ؛ لأنَّها رَأتْه في زَمَنٍ يَصْلُحُ لِلْحَيْضِ، فإنِ اتَّصَلَ يومًا وليلةً فهو حَيْضٌ، يَثْبُتُ (٧) به بُلُوغُها، ونُثْبِتُ فيه أحْكامَ الحَيْضِ كلها. وإن انْقَطَعَ لِدُون ذلك، فهو دَمُ فَسَادٍ، لا يَثْبُتُ به شيءٌ ممَّا ذَكَرْنا. وإنْ رأتِ الدَّمَ لِدُون تِسْعِ سِنِينَ، فهو دَمُ فَسَادٍ على كُلِّ حَالٍ؛ لأنَّه لا يَجُوزُ أنْ يكونَ حَيْضًا. وقد رَوَى المَيْمُونِىُّ، عن أحمدَ، في بِنْتِ عَشْرٍ رأتِ الدَّم، قال:
(٤) سورة الطلاق ٤.(٥) سقط من: م.(٦) أخرجه الترمذي، في: باب ما جاء في إكراه اليتيمة على التزويج، من أبواب النكاح. عارضة الأحوذى ٥/ ٢٩.(٧) في م: "ويثبت".
