What is the ruling concerning the duration of purity when flow is intermittent over a long period, according to Qadhi?
Chapter on Menstruation
Al-Mughni
Book of Purification
Primary text
The view of Al-Qadhi states that for a woman in habit, the ruling is as previously mentioned. For others, whatever exceeds fifteen days is Istihadah, while the days of blood within those fifteen days are entirely menses, provided the blood recurs. If the pattern is one day blood and one day purity, she has eight days of menses and seven days of purity. If it is in halves (half day blood/half day purity), she has seven and a half days of menses and an equal amount of purity. This is because the purity on the sixteenth day separates the subsequent flow, placing it under the ruling of pure women for whom prayer and fasting are mandated.
Supporting text
The counter-argument asserts that if purity on the sixteenth day serves as a separator, purity on the sixth day should also act as a separator, similar to distinguishing by color. The ruling for intermittent or mixed days (blood/purity) should align with the ruling for equal, regular days. However, if the initial portion of blood is less than the minimum requirement for menses, there is a view that it is not menses unless preceded by an uninterrupted flow sufficient to qualify as menses.