Islamic terms you should know

Hayd is the Arabic term for menstruation. In Islamic fiqh, hayd refers specifically to the natural monthly bleeding that women experience, which carries particular rulings around prayer, fasting, and intimacy. It is distinguished from istihadha (irregular bleeding) and nifas (postpartum bleeding), each of which has its own set of rules.

Istihadha is irregular or dysfunctional uterine bleeding that falls outside the normal pattern of hayd. In fiqh, istihadha is treated differently from menstruation: a woman experiencing istihadha is still required to pray and fast, performing wudu before each prayer. The distinction between hayd and istihadha is one of the most common questions women bring to scholars.

Nifas is postpartum bleeding, the blood that comes after childbirth. Like hayd, nifas carries its own set of worship rulings: a woman in nifas does not pray or fast until the bleeding stops and she performs ghusl. Nifas has a maximum duration that varies by madhab but no universally agreed minimum, meaning even a small amount of bleeding after delivery counts.

Tuhr means purity or cleanliness in Arabic. In fiqh related to menstruation, tuhr refers to the clean period between two cycles of hayd, when a woman is free from menstrual bleeding and has full worship obligations. Recognizing when tuhr begins is what tells a woman to perform ghusl and resume her prayers.

Ghusl is the full-body ritual washing required in Islam after certain states of impurity. For women, ghusl is required after hayd and nifas end before they can resume prayer and fasting. It is also required after sexual intercourse and other specific situations. Ghusl has specific steps that distinguish it from a regular shower.

Qada means to make up or fulfill an obligation that was missed at its appointed time. In the context of fasting, qada refers to the make-up fasts a woman owes for the days she could not fast during Ramadan due to hayd, nifas, pregnancy, or illness. These missed fasts must be made up before the next Ramadan arrives.

Fidyah is a compensatory payment made when a Muslim cannot fast and cannot make up the fast later, or when qada fasts are delayed beyond the next Ramadan without a valid excuse. It typically involves feeding one poor person for each missed day of fasting. Fidyah is distinct from kaffara, which is a penalty for deliberately breaking a fast without a valid reason.

A madhab is a school of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). There are four established Sunni madhabs: Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali. Each school has its own methodology for deriving rulings from the Quran and Sunnah, which leads to differences in specific fiqh rulings while agreeing on the core principles of Islam. Most Muslims follow the madhab prevalent in their region or family tradition.