What is meant by "half her life" in the Hadith: "One of them spends half her life not praying"?
The Hadith "One of you remains half her lifetime without praying" is not authentically attributed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. The great Hadith masters and erudite critics have clarified that it has no basis with this wording. Rather, some jurists cited it to argue that the maximum duration of menstruation is fifteen days. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, in "Al-Talkhis," traced this Hadith and mentioned various statements from Hadith masters and scholars confirming that it has no basis or chain of transmission, such as the sayings of Abu Abdullah Ibn Mandah, Al-Nawawi, Al-Bayhaqi, and others. There are authentic, agreed-upon Ahadith similar in meaning, such as the Ahadith of Abu Sa'id, Ibn 'Umar, Abu Hurayrah, and Ibn Mas'ud, which speak of a woman abstaining from prayer and fasting due to menstruation. However, they do not convey the intended meaning of the first Hadith, nor do they indicate that the maximum duration of menstruation is fifteen days.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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