Moisture of the vagina

Question

When I am not menstruating, I notice that my private parts are usually moist with discharge. I asked all my close Muslim friends and I discovered that the majority have the same condition. And after speaking to a Muslim female medic she told me that the female body discharges fluid as a natural way of cleaning, and she also stated this was the natural condition of the majority of female population and not an illness. How does a Muslim woman maintain her state of purity if she invariably has continious discharge?

Answer

The matter of moisture and natural discharge from the vagina has been investigated by Sheikh al-`Uthaymîn, Sheikh Yûsuf al-Qâsim, and Sheikh Ahmad al-Khalîl. Here are their answers:

About vaginal discharge
by Sheikh Muhammad b. Sâlih al-`Uthaymîn

People of knowledge agree that anything which comes out from urinary tract is impure. All other things that come out of the private parts are also generally construed to be impure except for semen.

However, I became dissatisfied with this generalization once I came to know that most women are suffering from permanent discharge. Therefore, we embarked upon further research and further discussions with doctors. From this, we came to our final ruling in this regard, which is as follows:

If such liquid is coming out from the urinary tract, then it is as we said above; impure and invalidates wudû’. On the other hand, if the discharge comes out from the vagina, then it requires a new wudû’, but it is pure and does not require the clothes it moistens to be washed.

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About vaginal discharge
by Sheikh Yûsuf al-Qâsim

What comes from the vagina, emanating from the birth canal, is pure. It requires neither a ritual bath, nor wudû’, nor the washing of affected clothing. The reason for this is the absence of any textual evidence – to the extent of my knowledge – that indicates the impurity of this discharge or that it invalidates a woman’s wudû’.

This is very pertinent, especially since this discharge is something that affects all women, from the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) up to today. If it had been impure or if it had nullified wudû’, this would have been clarified by the Lawgiver.

Also, this discharge is not a waste product – like urine and feces which are the waste products of our food and drink. It is a natural emanation from the womb. This is why it increases with pregnancy, especially during certain months.

This ruling is the final opinion that Sheikh al-`Uthaymîn settled upon at the end of his life.

It was also the view of Ibn Hazm.

And Allah knows best.

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About vaginal discharge
by Sheikh Ahmad al-Khalîl

The moisture which comes out from women’s vagina is a matter of disagreement among scholars. The most correct rule, in my opinion, is that it is pure and does not invalidate wudû’.

-islamtoday.net