Transliteration /bāligh / bulūgh/
Arabic بالغ

Bulūgh is the threshold at which a person becomes religiously responsible. Worship obligations. Daily prayer, fasting, Hajj, financial obligations like zakat and khums. Apply from this age onward.

For girls (Shia Jaʿfari)

  • A. Sistani / Khomeini / A. Khamenei: 9 lunar years completed (A. Sistani Ruling 434, Khomeini Tahrir al-Wasilah Vol I l. 1794).
  • A. Makarem Shirazi: 10 lunar years for menarche specifically (ISSUE 195). Makarem distinguishes menarche (age 10) from ʿiddah-exemption age (age 9). The only marja to do so among the three Tuhr supports.

Implication for hayd tracking

Bleeding before bulūgh is not classified as hayd. The Tuhr app’s onboarding takes date of birth precisely so it can apply the correct marja’s menarche gate before classifying any pre-bulūgh bleeding.

Tools

Primary sources

  • A. Sistani · 434 Menarche threshold. Nine lunar years

    Bleeding that a girl experiences before the age of nine is not ḥayḍ.

    Islamic Laws (4th English edition, World Federation KSIMC 2023) View source →
  • A. Makarem Shirazi · ISSUE 195 Menarche threshold: 10 lunar years

    For A. Makarem Shirazi, the menarche threshold is 10 lunar years (distinct from his ʿiddah-exemption age of 9 in ISSUE 871). Among Tuhr's three supported marjas, A. Makarem is alone in using 10 for menarche.

    Zubdat al-Aḥkām / A Summary of Rulings (English tr. Abdur-Rasheed, 2001) View source →