2. Muhammad ibn ’Isma‘il has narrated from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan from Hammad ibn ‘Isa and Ibn Abi ‘Umayr all from Mu‘awiyah ibn ‘Ammar who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah , has said, ‘Blood discharge because of Istihadah (irregular menses) and Hayd (menses) does not come from the same place. Blood discharge because of Istihadah (irregular menses) is cold, and because of Hayd (menses) it is hot.’”

3. A number of our companions narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from Ali ibn al-Hakam, from Ishaq ibn Jarir, who said: A woman from among us asked me to bring her to Abu Abdillah , so I sought permission for her, and he granted it. She entered, accompanied by her servant. She said to him, “O Abu Abdillah, regarding the verse ‘a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west’ (24:35), what does this mean?” He said to her, “O woman, Allah did not give examples of the tree for its own sake, but rather gave examples for the children of Adam. Ask what you mean.”

She then asked, “Tell me about women who engage in immoral acts with other women—what is their punishment?” He said, “The punishment for such acts is the same as for zina (fornication). On the Day of Judgment, they will be brought forth, clothed in garments of fire, struck with iron rods of fire, and covered in fire. From their innards to their heads, pillars of fire will be placed, and they will be cast into the Hellfire. O woman, the first people to commit such an act were the people of Lot. When men turned away from women and sought satisfaction with men, the women were left without men, so they did as their men had done, seeking satisfaction with one another.”

She then said to him, “May Allah bless you, what do you say about a woman who has her period, and her days of menstruation pass?” He replied, “If her menstruation lasts less than ten days, she should wait an additional day to be certain, and after that, she is considered to be experiencing istihadha (irregular bleeding).”

She then asked, “What if her bleeding continues for a month, two months, or three months—what should she do about her prayers?” He replied, “She should sit out the days of her menstruation, then she should perform ghusl for each two prayers.”

She further asked, “What if her menstruation varies, sometimes coming a day or two or three earlier or later—how would she know?” He said, “The blood of menstruation is not hidden; it is hot and causes a burning sensation, while the blood of istihadha is corrupt and cold.”

At this, she turned to her servant and said, “Do you think he was once a woman?”