Hadi (the whitish fluid before childbirth: its ruling on ablution and purity)

هادي

Hadi, in the technical sense, is a term of the Malikis: a whitish fluid that comes from a pregnant woman near childbirth; some define it as a fluid coming at the birth or at a miscarriage. ¹ ² It differs from madhi, wadi, semen, menses and postpartum bleeding in its outflow from the womb, and menses requires bathing while hadi does not. ² ³ The Malikis have two views on whether hadi breaks ablution: the accepted one says it does, the other says it is nothing, since it is not habitual. ³ ⁴ The Malikis hold hadi impure, and the Hanafis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis agree on the impurity of what comes from a pregnant woman before the birth. ⁴ ⁵

Depth

At a glance

Era: The Early Abbasid Caliphate
Region: Arabia
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Health, body and death Worship and the pillars Halal and haram

Summary

In the technical sense, hadi is a Maliki term for a whitish fluid that comes from a pregnant woman near childbirth. ¹ ²

Distinct notions

Hadi differs from madhi, wadi, semen, menses and postpartum bleeding in coming from the womb; menses requires bathing, hadi does not. ² ³

Whether it breaks ablution

The Malikis have two views: the accepted one says it breaks ablution; the other says it is nothing and needs no ablution, since it is not habitual. ³ ⁴

Impurity

The Malikis hold it impure; the Hanafis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis agree on the impurity of what comes from a pregnant woman before the birth. ⁴ ⁵

People and things also explored

Bone (adhm): purity, use and retaliation· Hady (animal offered to the Sacred Precinct)· Hair, wool and fur (their purity, the rules for the dead, washing, adornment and sale)· Halak (destruction of property and its legal effect)· Hudb (eyelashes: injury and washing in ablution)· Palm of the hand (kaff)· Shurb (drinking: manners, the one who drinks in prayer and fasting, and vessels of gold and silver)· Tatbib (medical treatment: the physician, his look, hire and liability)

Sources

al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.16764
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.16765
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.16766
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.16767
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.16768

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Hadi (the whitish fluid before childbirth: its ruling on ablution and purity)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/hadi-fiqh/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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Ideas

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Bone (adhm): purity, use and retaliation

In the lexicon, adhm is the bone that has flesh on it, plural 'idham and 'izam. Most jurists hold that a human bone is pure, whether living or dead, of a Muslim or not; that a fish bone stays pure after death; and that the bone of a lawfully slaughtered edible animal is pure and may be used. The bone of carrion, or of a non-edible animal, is impure according to the Malikis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis and Ishaq, and cannot be purified; the Hanafis hold it pure, and 'Umar disliked oiling in ivory. On cleansing after excretion with a bone, the Shafi'is and Hanbalis forbid it; the Hanafis dislike it as forbidden but accept that it suffices; the Malikis forbid a carrion bone and allow a pure bone with disapproval. Most jurists allow retaliation for a bone only at a joint, since equality cannot be achieved elsewhere.