Is yellow and brown discharge part of menses?

13-7-2023 | IslamWeb

Question:

Asalamu alaykom. In the past, I used to not really pay much attention to praying especially when it was nearing the time of my period. I used to like class any type of discharge as “period” and never really prayed those. What should i do? I used to not always pray on time either. I was ignorant of many rulings/ didn’t care about them. Is it obligatory for me to make these up? May Allah reward you.
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

There is some ambiguity in your question, but in any case, the yellow and brownish colors are considered menses in all cases by many scholars. If you leave the prayer when you see the yellow and brownish colors, then your action is in accordance with the Madh'hab (School of Fiqh) of many scholars, so there is no problem with that. According to our view, they are not menses unless they are connected with blood at the end. And if we assume that you left the obligatory prayer with certainty while being ignorant of the ruling, then there is a difference of opinion among scholars on whether it is obligatory to make up for it or not, and you have the option to work according to the Madh'hab of Ibn Taymiyyah, who chose the view that the ignorant person is not required to make up, and as for the prayers that you performed after its time, then you have absolved yourself of it, but you have to strive to learn religious knowledge and to perform the prayer on time, as deliberately leaving it until its prescribed time ends is one of the greatest sins.

Allah knows best.

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