asslam u alykum inshallah i am going for hajj this yr but my period will start on 23 oct which is 7th dul hajj,i will take pills to postpone menses but sometimes it causes spotting .what should i do .if i get spotting due to pills on days when i am not supposed to have my period,should i take it as istihada. if i get spotting on days when my periods are due,should i consider it as menses,plz explain in simple words as i have read similar questions on your website but they are so hard to understand..are tawaf ziyarat and tawaf wida essential part of hajj

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

Tawaaf Az-Ziyaarah which is also called Tawaaful Ifaadhah is one of the pillars of Hajj without which the Hajj is void. As regards Tawaaful Wadaa’ (Farewell Tawaaf), then this is an obligation (Waajib) among the obligations of Hajj but the women who are in menses or in post-partum bleeding are exempted from performing it.

As regards the blood discharges, then we initially advise you not to take pills except after asking the doctor about them and making sure that they do not cause harm to you because some of these pills can be harmful.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah have mercy upon,  said about the use of pills to prevent menses during Hajj: “Based on what I heard from trustworthy doctors, in my view, these pills should not be used; because they are harmful to the woman’s womb, to her blood, to her menstrual cycle, and also to the fetus. For example, they say: “Among the causes of fetal deformation that has recently become more common is from taking these drugs.” So, in my view, a woman should not take them and I think that she should be pleased with this menses which Allaah had predestined for her, and she should take the Mother of the Believers, ‘Aa’ishah   as her example, as she [‘Aa’ishah], like the other women, assumed the state of Ihraam for her ‘Umrah in the Farewell Hajj (with the Prophet, sallallahau ‘alayhi wa sallam), but she had menses on her way at a place called Sarif, so the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, entered upon her while she was crying, and he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,   asked her: “What’s wrong with you? Perhaps you are in menses.” She replied: “Yes, O Messenger of Allaah.” Thereupon, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ''This is something that Allaah had predestined for the daughters of Aadam (i.e. for all women and not for you only).” Well, had Allaah predestined this according to His Universal Will (which means that nothing occurs except what Allaah wills) or His Legislative Will (which means that Allaah may legislate something, but not everyone may adhere to it)? It is according His Universal Will; Allaah had predestined with His eternal predestination which he had written in eternity that the daughters of Aadam menstruate. It seems like the Prophet   wanted to say: This is something predestined, and there is no escape from what is predestined, so you should be patient ...” [End quote]

Anyway, if you take these pills and you see the bleeding at a time that could be considered as menstruation (i.e. it fulfills the conditions of the menstrual blood), then this is menstruation. This applies if the total duration of bleeding is one day and one night (24 hours) according to the view of the majority of the scholars provided its duration does not exceed fifteen days and nights. Also, between seeing this bleeding and the time when the previous period had stopped, there should be thirteen days or more, which is the minimum period of purity between two menstrual periods.

Based on this, if you see bleeding that can be considered as menses, according to the duration that we have clarified to you above, then it is menses; in which case, you are not permitted to perform Tawaaf (circumambulation around the Ka’bah) when you are bleeding and you should wait until the bleeding stops and then you should perform Ghusl (ritual bath) and perform Tawaaf.

Moreover, you should know that (the period of) purity during the time period of menses is considered as a valid purity. Hence, if we assume that you see the bleeding and then you see the purity, then you should perform Ghusl (ritual bath) and the prayer, and all the rulings that apply to women in a state of purity apply to you. In this case, it is permissible for you to perform Tawaaf around the Ka’bah. In case you have bleeding again, then you are again considered as having a period, and the Tawaaf that you had performed while you were in the state of purity is a valid Tawaaf that is counted.

However, if you see bleeding at a time that cannot be considered as menses (i.e. it does not fulfill the conditions of the menstrual blood), then this is bleeding outside your monthly period; in which case, you are obliged to perform ablution and this does not prevent the validity of Tawaaf.

Allaah Knows best.