What is the ruling on prayer and ghusl for a woman aged 42 whose menstrual period is delayed, and then she sees dark blood, tending towards brown and black, appearing intermittently?

The minimum duration of menstruation, according to the majority of scholars, is one day and one night. If a woman sees blood, she must stop praying. If the blood stops after one day and one night or more, she must perform ritual purification (ghusl) and pray.

However, if the blood stops in less than one day and one night, indicated by dryness, then the preceding blood is not considered menstruation. Instead, she should perform ablution (wudu') and pray. If the blood returns, she is then considered menstruating.

If the total duration of bleeding does not reach one day and one night, it is considered irregular bleeding (istihada) and an impurity, and she is not required to perform ghusl for it. Rather, she should perform wudu' and pray after cleaning the affected area.

The view of the majority is that the minimum duration of menstruation is one day and one night, and the period of purity between two bleeding episodes is a valid state of purity. However, the Malikis and Ibn Taymiyyah hold the view that there is no minimum limit for menstruation; thus, any blood is considered menstrual blood, even if it does not reach one day and one night.