Mutawassiṭa is the medium tier of istihada per A. Sistani and Khamenei. Blood soaks the absorbent material but does not pass through to the other side.
Requirements (A. Sistani 393)
- One ghusl per day, performed pre-Fajr.
- One wudu per prayer (carried over from Qalīla).
- If she misses the Fajr ghusl, she must perform it before Zuhr+Asr and again before Maghrib+Isha (the cascade).
Note
A. Makarem Shirazi does not recognise Mutawassiṭa as a separate tier. Cases that A. Sistani / A. Khamenei would classify here fall under Kathīra in A. Makarim’s two-tier scheme (Makarim ISSUE 185–186).
Primary sources
- A. Sistani · 393 Medium istihada (mutawassiṭa). One ghusl per day plus wudu
For medium istiḥāḍah, a woman must, based on obliga tory precaution, perform one ghusl daily for her prayers, and she must do the things that were mentioned in the previous ruling with regard to slight istiḥāḍah. Therefore, if she experiences medium istiḥāḍah before or during morning (ṣubḥ) prayers, she must perform ghusl for ṣubḥ prayers based on obligatory precaution. If she intentionally or forgetfully does not perform ghusl for ṣubḥ prayers, she must perform ghusl for midday (ẓuhr) and afternoon (ʿaṣr) prayers. And if she does not perform ghusl for ẓuhr and ʿaṣr prayers, she must perform ghusl before prayers after sunset (maghrib) and evening (ʿishāʾ) prayers, whether the bleeding has stopped or not.
- A. Makarem Shirazi · ISSUE 185–186 Two-tier istihada. Qalīla and kathīra only
For A. Makarem Shirazi, istihada has only two categories: Qalīla and Kathīra. The category A. Sistani and A. Khamenei call Mutawassiṭa is folded into Kathīra here, with the same three-ghusl cadence (Fajr alone, Zuhr+Asr combined, Maghrib+Isha combined).