What is the Iddah for a woman experiencing abnormal bleeding who is either a beginner (Mubtadi'ah) or one who has forgotten her former cycle, having no distinguishing features?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Waiting Periods ('Iddah)
Primary text
There are two narrations from Imam Ahmad for a woman who is a beginner or has forgotten her cycle. The first narration states her Iddah is three months, a view held by 'Ikrimah, Qatadah, and Abu 'Ubayd. This is evidenced by the Prophet's instruction to Hamnah bint Jahsh to refrain from prayer and fasting for six or seven days each month, thereby establishing a monthly menstrual period which must complete the Iddah as it is one of the rulings pertaining to menstruation.
Supporting text
The second narration from Imam Ahmad states she observes a full year, classifying her with one whose menstruation has ceased without known cause. Imam Ahmad justified this by citing the narration of 'Umar, stating that if the blood becomes mixed and she cannot distinguish between the beginning and end of the flow, she observes one year because this period helps ascertain pregnancy. This view is supported by Malik and Ishaq, arguing that since she is of the age for *quru'* but cannot confirm a period, her Iddah is one year, analogous to one whose menstruation has ceased.