Ruling 391 — Purification (Ṭahārah)

There are three types of istiḥāḍah: slight (qalīlah), medium (mutawassiṭah), and excessive (kathīrah). Slight istiḥāḍah is when the blood only stains a piece of cotton [or the top layer of a sanitary pad/another absorbent item] and does not seep into it. Medium istiḥāḍah is when the blood seeps into a piece of cotton [or top layer of a sanitary pad/another absorbent item] that a woman would normally use to absorb the discharge of blood – albeit into only one side of it – but it does not reach the bottom of it. Excessive istiḥāḍah is when the blood soaks a piece of cotton [or sanitary pad/another absorbent item] and reaches the bottom of it.