Ethical Dilemma -- Wajib or Haram?

[Nadiya]

Assalamualaikum,

Is it better to do something that could be wajib but may be haram, or to abstain from it because it could be haram but may be wajib?

Let me explain (brothers be warned, this is a menstruation question). I am a woman whose menstruation is unpredictable. I never know when it will start. Most of the time, blood is just very brief spotting rather than the start of a period, but obviously sometimes it's actually the start of menstruation. I also can't tell by the color or consistency of the blood which one it is. Whenever this happens, I'm always thrown into an ethical dilemma.

Salat is wajib, but it's haram during menstruation. So I panic -- should I pray, or should I not pray? If I pray and I'm on my period, I have done something haram. But if I don't pray and it turns out I'm not on my period, I have done something haram. 

Normally after around 20 minutes of agonizing over this question, I opt to pray. Usually this is the right decision, but occasionally I am wrong. 

Rarely, I am confident that yes, I am in fact starting my period, and opt to not pray. I have been wrong, though. 

I am leaning towards that it is better to pray and be wrong than to not pray and be wrong. Would you agree or disagree?

[Hameedeh]

43 minutes ago, Nadiya said:

I am leaning towards that it is better to pray and be wrong than to not pray and be wrong. Would you agree or disagree?

Salam. Whenever a female sees blood, she has to stop praying to be on the cautious side. If later she finds out that it was not menstruation (menses) then she can make up for the prayer(s) that she missed. Please read this book, especially the chapter called The Salat Before & After The Menses.  Get PDF

https://www.al-islam.org/the-ritual-ablutions-for-women-sayyid-muhammad-rizvi

[AmirAlmuminin Lover]

2 hours ago, Nadiya said:

Assalamualaikum,

Is it better to do something that could be wajib but may be haram, or to abstain from it because it could be haram but may be wajib?

Let me explain (brothers be warned, this is a menstruation question). I am a woman whose menstruation is unpredictable. I never know when it will start. Most of the time, blood is just very brief spotting rather than the start of a period, but obviously sometimes it's actually the start of menstruation. I also can't tell by the color or consistency of the blood which one it is. Whenever this happens, I'm always thrown into an ethical dilemma.

Salat is wajib, but it's haram during menstruation. So I panic -- should I pray, or should I not pray? If I pray and I'm on my period, I have done something haram. But if I don't pray and it turns out I'm not on my period, I have done something haram. 

Normally after around 20 minutes of agonizing over this question, I opt to pray. Usually this is the right decision, but occasionally I am wrong. 

Rarely, I am confident that yes, I am in fact starting my period, and opt to not pray. I have been wrong, though. 

I am leaning towards that it is better to pray and be wrong than to not pray and be wrong. Would you agree or disagree?

Salaam Alaykum

I was reading Islamic rulings in Sistani website a few years back, and I remember that there are some SPECIFIC rulings for women who have unpredictable menstruation. They are very precise rulings for these women, so there's no worry. This is not an ethical thing it's a Fiqhi question. Follow your Marji. I found some links on Sistani website. You can also find answer on Sistani website.

It's better to ask these questions private from an experienced knowledgeable sister.

[Sumerian]

This is not an ethical dilemma question sister, this is answered by the fuqaha.