Abu Ya'qub said: 'A woman experiencing istihadah (prolonged non-menstrual bleeding) can never be considered to be in a state of menstruation. The Prophet (peace be upon him) named her a mustahadah and clarified the days for her just as he clarified the purity from blood for the menstruating woman. This is that she should sit for the duration of her habitual menstrual days during the days of her istihadah; she does not fast and she does not pray. If her menstrual cycles vary, then the approach of precaution is more appropriate according to the people of knowledge. If she has no certainty and is ignorant of what the Prophet (peace be upon him) clarified for her regarding the days of her cycles, she would not know upon which of her times the meaning of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) statement "the days of her cycles" refers.'
Abu Ya'qub said: 'Women, during the days of their cycles, menstruate once at the beginning of the month, once in the middle, and once at the end; they shift during the months in the manner we have described. No scholar can deny what we have described regarding their shift, and they are trusted and believed regarding what they inform about themselves, as long as it is not known that they are saying what women do not menstruate in. Their status in istihadah is like their status in menstruation; if they claim regarding that what is known to occur in women, keeping in mind that what is known of women is that they do not exceed ten days.'
Abu Ya'qub said: 'Some of the people of knowledge have said: The meaning of the statement of Anas ibn Malik—even if it is not in the chain of narration because Hammad ibn Zayd and others weakened it—is that he set the dominant period for menstrual cycles at less than ten days, and he deemed her a mustahadah after ten days. Anas did not set the maximum of menstruation at one month, but he made that an optional choice based on the meaning of precaution. There is nothing in the hadith of al-Jald—despite its weakness—that states that menstruation cannot be more than ten days. The best of people in phrasing the words of the hadith is Isma'il ibn 'Ulayyah; he mentioned in the hadith of al-Jald: "She shall perform ghusl (full ablution) and fast after the ten days," and he did not say that she is not menstruating after the ten days, nor did he say she is menstruating.'
(1) Thus it is in the original, and perhaps an omission has occurred in it. (2) Thus it is in the original, and in Sharh Mughultay on Ibn Majah—where he quotes it from Harb—it reads: "ten days," which is more consistent with the context.
قال أبو يَعقوب: «ولا تكون المستَحاضَة حائضا أبدًا، وسَمَّاها النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم مُستَحاضَة، وبَيَّنَ لها الأيام كما بَيَّنَ للحائض الطَّهارَة من الدَّم، وهي أن تَقعُد قَدرَ أيام حَيضِها مِن أيام استِحاضَتها؛ لا تَصوم ولا تُصَلِّي، فإذا كان أقراؤها مُتفاوِتًا؛ كان الاحتِياط لها أولَى عِندَ أهل العِلم، إذا لم يَكُن عِندَها يَقين، وجَهِلَت ما بَيَّن لها النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من أيام الأقراء، فلا تَعلَم على أيِّ وقتها مَعنَى قول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: «أيام أقرائها»».
قال أبو يَعقوب: «والنِّساء في أيام أقرائهن يَحِضنَ في أوَّل الشَّهر مَرَّة، وفي أوسَطِه مَرَّةً أُخرَى، وفي آخِر الشَّهر كذلك؛ يَنتَقِلنَ في الشُّهور على ما وَصَفنا؛ لا يَقدِر عالِمٌ أن يُنكِر ما وَصَفنا من انتِقالِهنَّ، وهُنَّ مُؤتَمناتٌ مُصَدَّقاتٌ على ما أخبَرنَ عن أنفُسِهنَّ، ما لم يُعلَم أنهنَّ قُلنَ ما لا تَحيض النِّساء في مِثله، وأمرُهُنَّ في الاستِحاضَة كأمرِهِنَّ في الحَيض؛ إذا ادَّعين من ذلك ما يكون من النِّساء، مع أن المعلوم من النِّساء لا يَبلُغنَ العشر (١)».
وقال أبو يَعقوب: «وقال بَعض أهل العِلم: إن مَعنَى قول أنس بن مالك -وإن لم يَكُن في الإسناد؛ لِمَا ضَعَّفه حَمَّاد بن زَيد وغيرُه-، أنه جَعَلَ الغالِب من أقراء الحَيض: دون العَشر، وصَيَّرَها مُستَحاضَةً بَعدَ العَشر، ولم يَجعَل أنس أقصَى الحَيض شَهرًا (٢)، ولكن جَعَلَ ذلك اختيارًا؛ على مَعنَى الاحتياط، وليس في حديث الجَلد -في ضَعفِه- ألَّا يكون الحَيض أكثَرَ من العَشر، وأحسَنُ الناس سياقَةً لألفاظ الحديث: ⦗٣٦١⦘ إسماعيل بن عُليَّة؛ فذَكَر في حديث الجَلد: «تَغتَسِل وتَصوم بَعدَ العَشر»، ولم يَقُل: إنها بَعد العَشر غَيرُ حائض، ولا حائض».
(١) كذا في الأصل، ولعله وقع فيه سقط.(٢) كذا في الأصل، وفي شرح مغلطاي على ابن ماجه -حيث نقله عن حرب-: "عشراً"، وهو أوفق مع السياق
