The Book of Menstruation

Anas b. Malik reported: Umm Sulaim who was the grandmother of Ishaq came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) in the presence of 'A'isha and said to him: Messenger of Allah, in case or woman sees what a man sees in dream and she experiences in dream what a man experiences (i. e. experiences orgasm)? Upon this 'A'isha remarked: O Umm Sulaim, you brought humiliation to women;may your right hand be covered with dust. He (the Holy Prophet) said to 'A'isha: Let your hand be covered with dust, and (addressing Umm Sulaim) said: Well, O Umm Sulaim, she should take a bath if she sees that (i. e. she experiences orgasm in dream).

Anas b. Malik reported that Umm Sulaim narrated it that she asked the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) about a woman who sees in a dream what a man sees (sexual dream). The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon bi m) said: In case a woman sees that, she must take a bath. Umm Sulaim said: I was bashful on account of that and said: Does it happen? Upon this the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Yes (it does happen), otherwise how can (a child) resemble her? Man's discharge (i. e. sperm) is thick and white and the discharge of woman is thin and yellow; so the resemblance comes from the one whose genes prevail or dominate.

Anas b. Malik reported: A woman asked the Messenger of Allah (way peace be upon him) about a woman who sees in her dream what a man sees in his dream (sexual dream). He (the Holy Prophet) said: If she experiences what a man experiences, she should take a bath.

Umm Salama reported: Umm Sulaim went to the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) and said: Apostle of Allah, Allah is not ashamed of the truth. Is bathing necessary for a woman when she has a sexual dream? Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Yes, when she sees the liquid (vaginal secretion). Umm Salama said: Messenger of Allah, does a woman have sexual dream? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Let your hand be covered with dust, in what way does her child resemble her?

This hadith with the same sense (as narrated above) bus been transmitted from Hisham b. 'Urwa with the same chain of narrators but with this addition that she (Umm Salama) said: " You humiliated the women.

'A'isha the wife of the Apostle (may peace be upon him) narrated: Umm Sulaim, the mother of Bani Abu Talha, came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), and a hadith (like that) narrated by Hisham was narrated but for these words. A'isha said: I expressed disapproval to her, saying: Does a woman see a sexual dream?

It is reported on the authority of 'A'isha that a woman came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and inquired: Should a woman wash herself when she sees a sexual dream and sees (the marks) of liquid? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Yes. 'A'isha said to her: May your hand be covered with dust and injured. She narrated: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Leave her alone. In what way does the child resemble her but for the fact that when the genes contributed by woman prevail upon those of man, the child resembles the maternal family, and when the genes of man prevail upon those of woman the child resembles the paternal family.

Thauban, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), said: While I was standing beside the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) one of the rabbis of the Jews came and said: Peace be upon you, O Muhammad. I pushed him backwith a push that he was going to fall. Upon this he said: Why do you push me? I said: Why don't you say: O Messenger of Allah? The Jew said: We call him by the name by which he was named by his family. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: My name is Muhammad with which I was named by my family. The Jew said: I have come to ask you (something). The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Should that thing be of any benefit to you, if I tell you that? He (the Jew) said: I will lend my ears to it. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) drew a line with the help of the stick that he had with him and then said: Ask (whatever you like). Thereupon the Jew said: Where would the human beings be on the Daywhen the earth would change into another earth and the heavens too (would change into other heavens)? The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: They would be in darkness beside the Bridge. He (the Jew) again said: Who amongst people would be the first to cross (this bridge).? He said: They would be the poor amongst the refugees. The Jew said: What would constitute their breakfast when they would enter Paradise? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: A caul of the fish-liver. He (the Jew) said. What would be their food alter this? He (the Holy Prophet) said: A bullockwhich was fed in the different quarters of Paradise would be slaughtered for them. He (the Jew) said: What would be their drink? He (the Holy Prophet) said: They would be given drink from the fountain which is named" Salsabil". He (the Jew) said: I have come to ask you about a thing which no one amongst the people on the earth knows except an apostle or one or two men besides him. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Would it benefit you if I tell you that? He (the Jew) said: I would lend ears to that. He then said: I have come to ask you about the child. He (the Holy Prophet) said: The reproductive substance of man is white and that of woman (i. e. ovum central portion) yellow, and when they have sexual intercourse and the male's substance (chromosomes and genes) prevails upon the female's substance (chromosomes and genes), it is the male child that is created by Allah's Decree, and when the substance of the female prevails upon the substance contributed by the male, a female child is formed by the Decree of Allah. The Jew said: What you have said is true; verily you are an Apostle. He then returned and went away. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: He asked me about such and such things of which I have had no knowledge till Allah gave me that.

This tradition has been narrated by Mu'awyia b. Salim with the same chain of transmitters except for the words: I was sitting beside the Messenger of Allah" and some other minor alterations.

'A'isha reported: When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) bathed because of sexual intercourse, he first washed his hands: he then poured water with his right hand on his left hand and washed his private parts. He then performed ablution as is done for prayer'. He then took some water and put his fingers and moved them through the roots of his hair. And when he found that these had been properly mois- tened, then poured three handfuls on his head and then poured water over his body and subsequently washed his feet.

This hadith is narrated by Abu Kuraib. Ibn Numair and others, all on the authority of Hisham with the same chain of transmitters, but in their narration these words are not there: " washed his feet."

Hisham narrated it from his father, who narrated it on the authority of 'A'isha that when the Apostle (may peace be upon him) took a bath because of sexual inter-course, he first washed the palms of his hands three times, and then the whole hadith was transmitted like that based on the authority of Abu Mu'awyia, but no mention is made of the washing of feet.

'Urwa has narrated it on the authority of 'A'isha that when Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) took a bath because of sexual intercourse, he first washed his hands before dipping one of them into the basin, and then performed ablu- tion as is done for prayer.

Ibn 'Abbas reported it on the authority of Maimuna, his mother's sister, that she said: I placed water near the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) to take a bath because of sexual intercourse. He washed the palms of his bands twice or thrice and then put his hand In the basin and poured water over his private parts and washed them with his left hand. He then struck his hand against the earth and rubbed it with force and then performed ablution for the prayer and then poured three handfuls of water on his head and then washed his whole body after which he moved aside from that place and washed his feet, and then I brought a towel (so that he may wipe his body). but he returned it.

This hadith is narrated by A'mash with the same chain of transmitters, but in the hadith narrated by Yahya b. Yahya and Abu Kuraib there is no mention of: " Pouring of three handfuls of water on the head." and in the hadith narrated by Waki' all the features of ablution have been recorded: rinsing (of mouth), snuffing of water (in the nostrils) ; and in the hadith transmitted by Abu Mu'awyia, there is no mention of a towel.

Ibn Abbas narrated It on the authority of Maimuna that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) was given a towel, but he did not rub (his body) with it, but he did like this with water, i. e. he shook it off.

'A'isha reported: When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) took a bath because of sexual intercourse, he called for a vessel and took a handful of water from it and first (washed) the right side of his head, then left, and then took a handful (of water) and poured it on his head.

'A'isha reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) washed himself with water from a vessel (measuring seven to eight seers) because of sexual intercourse.

'A'isha reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) took a bath from the vessel (which contained seven to eight seers, i. e. fifteen to sixteen pounds) of water And I and he (the Holy Prophet) took a bath from the same vessel. And in the hadith narrated by Sufyan the words are:" from one vessel". Qutaiba said: Al-Faraq is three Sa' (a cubic measuring of varying magnitude).

Abu Salamab. 'Abd al-Rahman reported: I along with the foster brother of 'A'isha went to her and he asked about the bath of the Apostle (may peace be upon him) because of sexual intercourse. She called for a vessel equal to a Sa' and she took a bath. and there was a curtain between us and her. She poured water on her head thrice and he (Abu Salama) said: The wives of the Apostle (may peace be upon him) collectedhair on their heads and these lopped up to ears (and did rot go beyond that).

Salama b. Abd al-Rahman narrated it on the authority of A'isha that when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) took a bath, he started from the right hand and poured water over it and washed it, and then poured water on the impurity with the right band and washed it away with the help of the left hand. and after having removed it, he poured water on his head. A'isha said: I and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) took a bath from the same vessel, after sexual intercourse.

Hafsa, daughter of 'Abd al-Rahman b. Abu Bakr, reported that 'A'isha narrated to her that she and the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) took a bath from the same vessel which contained water equal to three Mudds or thereabout.

'A'isha reported: I and the Messenger (may peace be upon him) took a bath from the same vessel and our hands alternated into it in the state that we had had sexual intercourse.

'A'isha reported: I and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) took a bath from one vessel which was placed between me and him and he would get ahead of me, so that I would say: Spare (some water for) me, spare (some water for) me; and she said that they had had sexual intercourse.

Ibn Abbas said: Maimuna (the wife of the Holy Prophet) reported to me that she and the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) took a bath from one vessel.

Ibn Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) took a bath with the water left over by Maimuna.

Zainab bint Umm Salama (the wife of the Holy Prophet) reported that Umm Salama and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) took a bath from the same vessel.

Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) took a bath with five Makkuks of water and performed ablution with one Makkuk. Ibn Muthanna has used the words five Makakiyya, and Ibn Mu'adh narrated it from 'Abdullah b. 'Abdullah and he made no mention of Ibn Jabr.

Anas said: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) performed ablution with one Mudd and took bath with a Sa' up to five Mudds.

Safina reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) took a bath with one g' of water because of sexual intercourse and performed ablution with one Mudd.