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493. Women with the habit of time are of two types:
1. A woman who observes the blood of Îayà (starting) at a particular date in two consecutive months, and after a few days she is purified from it. However the duration of her Îayà is not the same in both months. An example of this would be a woman who observes blood on the first day of the month in two consecutive months. However she is purified from it on the seventh day in the first month and on the eight day in the second month. Such a woman should consider the first day of the month as her habitual time for ÎayÃ.
2. A woman who observes the blood of Îayà for three or more days (starting) at a particular time in two consecutive months, and is then purified from it. She then observes blood once again and the sum of all the days she observes blood along with the interval of purity does not exceed ten days, provided that the sum in the second month is more or less than the first month. For example, the sum of the days is eight days in the first month and nine days in the second month. Such a woman should also consider the first day of the month as her habitual time for ÎayÃ.

494. If a woman with the habit of time observes blood on her habitual date, or a little before it—albeit to an extent that the common understanding would consider her menses to be early—or a little after her habitual date—albeit to an extent that the common understanding would consider her menses to be late—she should act according to the rulings that were mentioned for a ÎÁÞiÃ, even if the blood does not possess the qualities of ÎayÃ. If she later realizes that it was not Îay×for example, she is purified from the bleeding before completing three days—she should offer the qaÃÁ of the rituals of worship that she had not performed.

495. If a woman with the habit of time observes blood for more than ten days, and is unable to distinguish Îayà from its qualities, she should consider the habitual duration of her relatives as her duration of ÎayÃ, be they paternal or maternal, dead or alive. Obligatory precaution dictates that if their habitual duration is not six or seven days, she should combine the prohibitions of a ÎÁÞià with the obligations of a mustaÎÁÃah during the difference between their days and six or seven days. However, she can only consider their habitual duration to be her own if all of their durations are the same. If their durations are not the same—for example, some have a habitual duration of five days and some seven days—she cannot consider their habit to be her own in ÎayÃ.

496. A woman with the habit of time who considers the habitual duration of her relatives to be her own, should consider the day which marks the beginning of her habit every month as the beginning of her ÎayÃ. For example, a woman who used to observe blood on the first day of the month, and would be purified from it sometimes on the seventh and sometimes on the eighth; if she observes blood for twelve days in one month, and the habitual duration of her relatives is seven days, she should consider it as Îayà during the first seven days of the month and istiÎÁÃah during the rest.

497. If a woman who must consider the habitual duration of her relatives to be her own, does not have any relatives, or if they do not share a similar duration, obligatory precaution dictates that every month she should consider the first day she observes blood to the sixth or seventh day as ÎayÃ, and the rest as istiÎÁÃah.

498. Women with the habit of duration are of two types:
1. A woman whose duration of her days of Îayà is the same in two consecutive months, but the time (of the month) she observes blood is not the same. In this case, the number of days she observes blood will be her habitual duration. For example, if she observes the blood of Îayà from the first day to the fifth day in the first month, and from the eleventh day to the fifteenth day in the second month, her habitual duration will be five days.
2. A woman who observes the blood of Îayà for three or more days in two consecutive months, and is purified from it for one or more days, and then observes blood once again, provided the time she observes blood in the first month is different from the second month. In such a case, if the sum of all the days she observed blood and the days that she was purified does not exceed ten days, and it is the same in both the months, then all the days she observed blood and the interval of purity in between will be considered as her habitual duration of ÎayÃ.
It is also not necessary for the days that she was purified between the two discharges to be of the same duration in both the months. For example, she observes blood from the first to the third in the first month, and is purified for two days, and then observes blood once again for three days. In the second month she observes blood from the eleventh to the thirteenth, and is purified from it for two days or more, or less, and then observes blood once again, and the sum of all the days is eight, her habitual duration is eight days.
Another example would be that she observes blood for eight days in one month, and in the second month for four days, after which she is purified, and then observes blood once again, and the sum of all the days of her discharge and the interval of purity is eight days. In this case, her habitual duration will be eight days.

499. If a woman with the habit of duration observes blood with the qualities of Îayà for a duration that is longer or shorter than her habitual duration, but it does not exceed ten days, she should consider all of it as ÎayÃ. If it exceeds ten days, and all of it possesses the qualities of ÎayÃ, she should consider it as Îayà for the length of her habitual duration, starting from the (first) day she observed blood. She should consider the rest as istiÎÁÃah.
However, sometimes all the observed blood is not of uniform quality, in that it possesses the qualities of Îayà during some of the days, and the qualities of istiÎÁÃah during others. In such a case, if the duration of the days the blood possesses the qualities of Îayà coincides with the duration of her habitual days, she should consider it as Îayà during those days, and istiÎÁÃah during the rest.
If however, the days in which the blood possesses the qualities of Îayà are more than her habitual days, she should consider it as Îayà for the length of her habitual days. As for the exceeding days in which the blood possesses the qualities of ÎayÃ, but does not surpass ten days, obligatory precaution dictates that she combine the prohibitions of a ÎÁÞià with the obligations of a mustaÎÁÃah during those days.
If the days in which the blood possesses the qualities of Îayà is not less than three, but it is less than her habitual days, she should consider it to be Îayà during those days. As for the exceeding days, up until the length of her habitual duration, obligatory precaution dictates that she combine the prohibitions of a ÎÁÞià with the obligations of a mustaÎÁÃah during those days.

500. If a muÃÔaribah—a woman who has observed blood in a few months, but has yet to develop a regular habit, or a woman whose habit was broken, and has not yet developed a new habit—observes blood for more than ten days, and all of it possesses the qualities of ÎayÃ, she should consider it as Îayà for six to seven days, if that is the habitual duration of her relatives. She should consider the rest as istiÎÁÃah.
If it is lesser—for example, five days—then she should consider it as Îayà during those days, and obligatory precaution dictates that for the days in which their habitual duration differs from six or seven days—which is a day or two—she should refrain from the acts which are forbidden on a ÎÁÞià and should perform the acts which are obligatory on a mustaÎÁÃah.
If however, the habitual duration of her relatives is more than seven days—for example, nine days—she should consider it to be Îayà for six or seven days. Obligatory precaution dictates that for the days between the habitual duration of her relatives and six or seven days—which is two or three days—she should refrain from the acts which are prohibited on a ÎÁÞià and perform the acts which are obligatory on a mustaÎÁÃah.

501. If a muÃÔaribah observes blood for more than ten days, which possesses the qualities of Îayà on some days and istiÎÁÃah on others, then the blood possessing the qualities of Îayà will all be considered as Îayà if it is not discharged for less than three days or more than ten days. If it is not possible to consider all of the blood that possesses the qualities of Îayà as Îay×for example, she observes blood with the qualities of Îayà for five days, and istiÎÁÃah for five days, and Îayà once again for another five days—then if it is possible to consider each of the discharges with the qualities of Îayà as Îay×in that each of them is not less than three days or more than ten days—she should combine the prohibitions of a ÎÁÞià and the obligations of a mustaÎÁÃah in both the discharges. As for the discharge between the two, which does not possess the qualities of ÎayÃ, she should consider it as mustaÎÁÃah. If it is only possible to consider one of the discharges as ÎayÃ, then she should consider it as ÎayÃ, and the rest as istiÎÁÃah.

502. If a mubtadiÞah—a woman who is observing blood for the first time—observes blood for more than ten days, and all of it possesses the qualities of ÎayÃ, she should consider the habitual duration of her relatives as (the duration of) her ÎayÃ, and the rest as istiÎÁÃah. If she does not have any relatives, or her relatives have varying habits, obligatory precaution dictates that she consider the first three days as ÎayÃ. She should then combine the prohibitions of a ÎÁÞià and the obligations of a mustaÎÁÃah in the first month until the tenth day, and in subsequent months until the sixth or seventh day.

503. If a mubtadiÞah observes blood for more than ten days, some of which possesses the qualities of Îayà and some the qualities of istiÎÁÃah, and the blood with the qualities of Îayà is not discharged for less than three days or more than ten days, then all of it (with the qualities of ÎayÃ) is ÎayÃ.
However, if she observes blood with the qualities of Îayà once again, before ten days have passed after the first discharge with the qualities of Îay×for example, she observes dark blood for five days, followed by yellow blood for nine days, and then dark blood once again for five days—she should consider the middle discharge as istiÎÁÃah. As for the first and third discharge, she should act on precaution by combining the prohibitions of a ÎÁÞià with the obligations of a mustaÎÁÃah.

504. If a mubtadiÞah observes blood for more than ten days, some of which possesses the qualities of Îayà and some the qualities of istiÎÁÃah, but the blood with the qualities of Îayà is discharged for less than three days, then all the observed blood is istiÎÁÃah.

505. A nÁsiyah can be of three types:
1. A woman who only had a habit of duration and has forgotten it. In this case, if she observes blood with the qualities of Îayà for not less than three days or not more than ten days, she should consider all of it as ÎayÃ. If it is for more than ten days, she should consider it as Îayà for as long as she entertains the possibility that it is ÎayÃ. If the (assumed) duration is less than six days, or more than seven days, she should combine the prohibitions of a ÎÁÞià with the obligations of a mustaÎÁÃah during the difference between the duration and six or seven days, a choice which is hers to make.
2. A woman who only had a habit of time and has forgotten it. In this case, if she observes blood with the qualities of ÎayÃ, and it is not for less than three days or more than ten days, all of it will be ÎayÃ. If the discharge is for more than ten days, and she knows that some of it coincides with her habitual days, she should combine the prohibitions of a ÎÁÞià with the obligations of a mustaÎÁÃah for the entire length of the discharge, even though all of the discharge or a part of it may not possess the qualities of ÎayÃ. The same will apply if she does not know, but entertains the possibility that it may coincide with her habitual days. If she does not entertain this possibility, and some of the blood possesses the qualities of Îayà and some of it istiÎÁÃah, and the blood with the qualities of Îayà is not discharged for less than three days or more than ten days, it will be considered Îayà and the rest istiÎÁÃah. If all of the blood possesses the qualities of ÎayÃ, or the part which possesses the qualities of Îayà exceeds ten days, she should treat it as Îayà for six or seven days, and istiÎÁÃah for the rest.
3. A woman with the habit of time and duration. This too can take on three forms:
a. She has only forgotten her habitual time. Her responsibility is the same as the one elaborated in no. 2 above, unless the blood possesses the qualities (of ÎayÃ) and she knows that it does not coincide with her habitual days, and it exceeds ten days. In this case, if her habitual duration is six or seven days, she should treat it as Îayà for that duration. However, if her habitual duration is more or less than that, obligatory precaution dictates that she combine the prohibitions of a ÎÁÞià with the obligations of a mustaÎÁÃah during the difference between that duration and six or seven days, a choice which is hers to make. She should treat it as istiÎÁÃah for the rest of the days.
b. She has only forgotten her habitual duration. In this case, the blood she observes starting from the habitual time for a period she is certain is not less than her habitual duration, will be considered ÎayÃ. As for the days exceeding this duration, if the blood possesses the qualities of ÎayÃ, and along with the aforementioned duration does not exceed ten days, all of it will be considered ÎayÃ. If it does exceed ten days, and the durations she conjures is the length of her habitual duration is less than six days, she should consider it as Îayà for that duration, and until the sixth or seventh day—a choice that is hers to make—she should combine between the prohibitions of a ÎÁÞià and the obligations of a mustaÎÁÃah. If the (probable) duration is more than seven days, it will be Îayà until the sixth or seventh day—a choice that is hers to make—and from the day of her choice (sixth or seventh) to the (probable) duration, which does not exceed ten days, she should observe the same precaution.
c. She has forgotten her habitual duration and habitual time. In this case, if the observed blood possesses the qualities (of ÎayÃ), and is not discharged for less than three days or more than ten days, all of it is ÎayÃ. If it does exceed ten days, and she knows that it does not coincide with her habitual days, and she conjures her habitual duration to be six or seven days, she should consider it as Îayà and the rest as istiÎÁÃah. If the (probable) duration is less than six days, she should consider it as Îayà for that duration, and until the sixth or seventh day—a choice that is hers to make—the obligatory precaution is to observe the responsibilities of a ÎÁÞià and a mustaÎÁÃah. If the (probable) duration is more than seven days, it is Îayà until the sixth or seventh day—a choice that is hers to make—and from the day of her choice (sixth or seventh) to the (probable) duration, which does not exceed ten days, the same precaution should be observed.
If the quality of the blood varies, some possessing the qualities of Îayà and some of istiÎÁÃah, the blood possessing the qualities of Îayà will be Îayà if it is not discharged for less than three days or more than ten days. As for the blood that was observed with the qualities of istiÎÁÃah, if she knows that it does not coincide with her habitual days, it is istiÎÁÃah. If she entertains the possibility that it coincides with her habitual days, she must act on precaution by observing the responsibilities of Îayà and istiÎÁÃah.

506. If a mubtadiÞah, a muÃÔaribah, a nÁsiyah, or a woman who has the habit of duration observes blood with the qualities of ÎayÃ, she should not perform the rituals of worship. If she later realizes that it was not ÎayÃ, she must offer the qaÃÁ of the rituals that she did not perform.
However, if they observe blood that does not possess the qualities of ÎayÃ, they must continue to perform the rituals of worship, except for a nÁsiyah who attaints certainty in the occurrence of her menses. She must not perform the rituals of worship for as long as she deems it probable that she is in her menses.

507. If a woman with a habit in her Îay×be it a habit of time, a habit of duration or a habit of time and duration—observes blood in two consecutive months that is contrary to her (regular) habit, whose time, number of days, or time and number of days is the same, her habit will revert to what she has observed in these two months. For example, if she used to observe blood from the first of the month to the seventh, and would then be purified, and thereafter observes blood in two consecutive months from the tenth to the seventeenth, and is then purified, her habit will be from the tenth to the seventeenth.

508. The “passage of one month” refers to the passage of thirty days from the first day that the blood is observed, and not from the first day of the month to the last day.

509. If a woman, who usually observes blood once a month, observes blood twice in a particular month, and both the discharges possess the qualities of ÎayÃ, she should consider both of them as Îayà as long the interval of purity between the two discharges is not less than ten days.

510. If a woman observes blood with the qualities of Îayà for three days or more, and then observes blood with the qualities of istiÎÁÃah for ten days or more, and once again observes blood with the qualities of Îayà for three days, she should treat the first and the last discharge which possessed the qualities of Îayà as ÎayÃ.

511. If a woman is purified before (the completion of) ten days, and also knows that no blood is left internally, she should perform ghusl for her rituals of worship, even though she may speculate that she will observe blood once again prior to the completion of ten days. However, if she is certain that she will observe blood once again prior to the completion of ten days, she should not perform ghusl.

512. If a woman is purified (from bleeding) prior to (the completion of) ten days, and entertains the possibility that blood may be present internally, she must observe precaution, or insert a piece of cotton in the vaginal area, wait for a short while and then remove it. The recommended precaution is that she should perform this whilst standing, with her stomach touching a wall, and one her legs raised on the wall. If it is clean, she should perform her ghusl and her rituals of worship. If it is not clean—even if it be stained with a yellowish liquid—she should wait, provided she does not have a habit in her Îayà or if her habit is ten days. Then, if she is purified prior to the completion of ten days, she should perform her ghusl (right away), and if she is purified on the tenth day, or bleeds in excess of ten days, she should perform her ghusl on the tenth day.
If her habitual duration is less than ten days, and she knows that she will be purified prior to the completion of ten days, or on the tenth day, she should not perform ghusl. If she deems it probable that her bleeding will exceed ten days, it is obligatory on her to refrain from performing her rituals of worship. After that she can perform the duties of a mustaÎÁÃah. The recommended precaution is that she combines the prohibitions of a ÎÁÞià with the obligations of a mustaÎÁÃah until the tenth days. This ruling is specific to a woman who was not bleeding continuously prior to her habit. If she has been, she should consider it as Îayà during her habitual days, and istiÎÁÃah during the rest.

513. If she considers it as Îayà during some days, and does not perform her rituals of worship, only to realize later on that it was not ÎayÃ, she must offer the qaÃÁ of the prayers and fasts that she did not perform during those days.
If she assumes that it is not Îayà and performs the rituals of worship, and later realizes that it was ÎayÃ, she must offer the qaÃÁ of her fasts even if she had fasted during those days.

Before detailing the rulings of prayer, it is necessary to point out two things:

First: The Importance of Prayer
There are close to a hundred verses in the Qur’an that speak of prayer. Here we shall limit ourselves to pointing out a few of them.
God granted Abraham (Peace be upon him) the position of prophethood, messengership and friendship. He tested him with trials and tribulations, after the passing of which, he attained a level of perfection and the lofty position of Imamate. After all this, he turned to God and said: And from among my descendants? ({^2:124^}) To which God replied: My pledge does not extend to the unjust.({^ 2:124^}) After attaining the lofty position of Imamate and God’s acceptance of extending His pledge to his descendants, he stood before the house of God supplicating: My Lord! Make me a maintainer of the prayer, and my descendants [too].({^ 14:40^}) This supplication from one who attained such a position is ample proof for the importance of prayer.
Similarly, when Abraham settled his descendants near the house of God, he said: Our Lord! I have settled part of my descendants in a barren valley, by Your sacred House, our Lord, that they may maintain the prayer. ({^14:37 ^})
There is a chapter in the Qur’an by the name of “The Believers”. This chapter enumerates the attributes of the believers. The chapter begins with the attribute of humility in prayer: Those who are humble in their prayers ({^ 23:1^}) and ends its enumeration of attributes with their watchfulness over prayer: And who are watchful of their prayers. ({^ 23:9^}) One can deduce from these verses that the beginning and end of faith is prayer. The fruit of this faith, the basis of which is prayer is: It is they who will be the inheritors, who shall inherit paradise, and will remain in it forever. ({^ 23:11-12 ^})
There is also great mention of prayer in the traditions of the Prophet (Peace be upon him and his progeny) and his pure household. It is sufficient that we narrate one tradition from them to depict the grandeur of prayers before them. Imam Ja‘far al-ÑÁdiq (Peace be upon him) has said: “After the gnosis of God, I know not a thing better than the five daily prayers”. It should be known that the nonentity of knowledge of the Imam regarding a matter is his knowledge of its nonentity. This tradition from the Imam is an elucidation of the word of God: This is the Book, there is no doubt in it, guidance to the God wary, who believe in the Unseen, and maintain the prayer.({^ 2:2-3^}) We note in this verse that maintaining prayer has been mentioned immediately after the belief in the Unseen.
Prayer is the most inclusive of all worship. Within it are the acts of worship (‘ibÁdat al-fi‘lÐ) and verbal worship (‘ibÁdat al-qawlÐ). The acts of worship consist of the rukÙ‘, sujÙd, qiyÁm and qu‘Ùd. The verbal worship consists of tasbÐÎ (glorifying), takbÐr (exalting), taÎmÐd (extolling) and tahlÐl (deifying), which are known as the four pillars of the gnosis of God, the Glorified, the Exalted. This includes all the states of worship of the angels of proximity, for amongst them are those whose worship is in a state of qiyÁm, while others in qu‘Ùd, rukÙ‘ or sujÙd.
Numerous descriptions have been ascribed to prayer in the Prophetic traditions. Some of them are as follows: the apex of the religion, the last admonition of the prophets, the most beloved of deeds, the best of deeds, the foundation of Islam, the reception of the all-Merciful, the path of the prophets and that through which the servant ascends to a lofty position.
The Time for Úuhr and ‘AÒr Prayers

Second: Man must take caution not to attend prayers in haste. He should constantly remember God, be in a state of humility, abasement and gravity. He should know who he is addressing and should consider himself naught before the grandeur and magnificence of the Lord of the worlds.
It is further necessary for the worshipper to seek forgiveness for the sins that prevent the acceptance of prayer such as: envy, pride, backbiting, eating forbidden food, drinking intoxicants, not giving khums and ZakÁt. Along with seeking forgiveness, he should refrain from every form of sin.
It is also befitting that he abstain from deeds that diminish the reward of prayers such as: praying in a state of sleepiness, when experiencing the urge to urinate and while looking towards the sky. He should rather engage himself in that which increases the reward of prayer, such as: applying perfume, combing the hair, brushing the teeth, ensuring ones attire is tidy and wearing a carnelian (‘aqÐq) ring.

There are six obligatory prayers:
1. The five daily prayers, including the Friday prayers
2. Prayer for signs
3. Prayer for the dead, given that the term “prayer” is canonically applicable to it in a non-figurative manner. In either case—be it applicable or not—it is obligatory to perform it.
4. Prayer after an obligatory ÔawÁf around the Kaaba
5. The qaÃÁ prayers of one’s father which are obligatory on the eldest son
6. Prayers that become obligatory through being hired, making a nadhr or a covenant, by swearing to perform it, or stipulating it in a contract.

The five daily prayers, besides the Friday prayer, include: the fajr prayer which is two rak‘ah, followed by Ûuhr and ‘aÒr prayers, both of which are four rak‘ah. This is followed by maghrib, which is three rak‘ah, and then ‘ishÁ, which is four rak‘ah.

735. In the cases of travelling or fear, one must reduce the four rak‘ah prayers to two rak‘ah, the conditions of which shall be elaborated in its own place.

736. If a small stick or something similar in shape—called a gnomon—is driven perpendicularly into a flat ground, when the sun rises in the morning, the shadow of the stick will point towards the West. The more the sun rises, its shadow decreases. In most cities, the shadow reaches its shortest point at the beginning of canonical mid-day (Ûuhr al-shar‘Ð) after which the growth of the shadow will be from the East. The further the sun declines towards the West, the more its shadow will increase.
Hence, when the shadow reaches its shortest point, and thereafter starts to increase, it will indicate that the time for canonical mid-day has entered. However, in certain cities, the shadow completely disappears. When it appears once again, it will indicate that the time for canonical mid-day has entered.

737. The time for Ûuhr and ‘aÒr is between the time the sun begins to decline from its zenith and sunset. If a person deliberately prays ‘aÒr before Ûuhr, his prayer is invalid, except in the case where there is only sufficient time to perform one prayer. In such a case, if one has not yet performed his Ûuhr prayer, he should first pray his ‘aÒr and then his Ûuhr with the intention of qaÃÁ. However, if a person forgetfully prays his ‘aÒr before his Ûuhr, his prayers are valid. He consider it as his Ûuhr prayer and then pray another four rak‘ah with the intention of ma fi dhimmah, based on obligatory precaution.

738. If a person forgetfully begins ‘aÒr prayers before Ûuhr and realizes his mistake whilst praying, he must change his intention from Ûuhr to ‘aÒr prayers. That is, he should make the intention that: all that which I have recited up till now and that which I have occupied myself with has been Ûuhr prayer. After completing his prayer, he should pray the ‘aÒr prayer.

739. Friday prayer is wÁjib al-ta‘ayyuni (a wÁjib without alternatives) in the presence of an infallible imam (Peace be upon him) or somebody appointed by the Imam. In his occultation however, the mukallaf is free to choose between offering Ûuhr prayer or Friday prayer, provided its conditions are met. Although the precaution is Ûuhr prayer, it is better to offer the Friday prayer.