Is It
Permissible To Read Quran While A Women Is Having Mensus
(Periods)?
Islamic Rulings -
Living Shariah Verdicts
Islamic Questions & AnswersIs it permissible to read Quran while a women is
having mensus (periods)?
Praise be to Allaah.
This is one of the issues on which the scholars, may
Allaah have mercy on them, differed.
The majority of fuqahaa’ say that it is haraam for a
woman to recite Qur’aan during her period, until she
is taahir (pure) again. The only exceptions they make
is in the case of dhikr (remembrance of Allaah) and
phrases that are not intended as tilaawah
(recitation), such as saying
“Bismillaahi’r-Rahmaani’r-Raheem” or “Innaa Lillaahi
wa innaa ilayhi raaji’oon”, or other phrases from the
Qur’aan which are repeated as general du’aa’s.
They base their evidence for forbidding menstruating
women to recite Qur’aan on several things, including
the following:
Menstruation is seen as coming under the rulings that
apply to one who is junub (in a state of impurity
following sexual intercourse), because both states
require ghusl. This is based on the hadeeth narrated
by ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with
him), according to which the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to
teach the Qur’aan and he never prevented anyone from
learning it except those who were in a state of
janaabah (impurity).” (Reported by Abu Dawood, 1/281;
al-Tirmidhi, 146; al-Nisaa’i, 1/144; Ibn Maajah,
1/207; Ahmad, 1/84; Ibn Khuzaymah [??], 1/104. Al-Tirmidhi
said: a saheeh hasan hadeeth. Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar
said: the truth is that it is the type of hasan
hadeeth that could be used as evidence).
The hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with
them both), according to which the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The
menstruating woman and the one who is in a state of
impurity (janaabah) should not recite anything of the
Qur’aan.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 131; Ibn Maajah,
595; al-Daaraqutni (1/117); al-Bayhaqi, 1/89. This is
a da’eef hadeeth, because it was reported by Ismaa’eel
ibn ‘Ayyaash from the Hijaazis, and his reports from
them are da’eef as is well known to those who are
conversant with the study of hadeeth. Shaykh al-Islam
Ibn Taymiyah said (21/460): it is a da’eef hadeeth by
the unanimous agreement of the scholars of hadeeth.
See Nasb al-Raayah, 1/195; al-Talkhees al-Habeer,
1/183).
Some scholars say that it is permitted for a
menstruating woman to recite Qur’aan. This is the
opinion of Maalik, and one opinion narrated from
Ahmad, which Ibn Taymiyah preferred and which al-Shawkaani
believed to be correct. The scholars based the
following points on this opinion:
The principle is that things are allowed and permitted
unless there is evidence to the contrary. There is no
such evidence to say that a menstruating woman is not
allowed to recite Qur’aan. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyah said: “There is no clear, saheeh text to
indicate that a menstruating woman is forbidden to
recite Qur’aan… It is known that women used to
menstruate at the time of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he
did not forbid them to recite Qur’aan, or to remember
Allaah (dhikr) and offer du’aa’.”
Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, commands
(Muslims) to recite Qur’aan. He praises the one who
does so, and promises him (or her) a great reward. No
one is excluded from this except the one concerning
whom there is solid evidence (daleel), and there is no
such evidence in the case of menstruating women, as
stated above.
The analogy between the menstruating woman and the one
who is in a state of janaabah is made despite the fact
that there are differences between them. The one who
is in a state of janaabah has the option of removing
the “barrier” by making ghusl, unlike the menstruating
woman. A woman’s period usually lasts for some length
of time, whereas the person who is in a state of
janaabah is required to do ghusl when the time for
prayer comes.
Preventing a menstruating woman from reciting Qur’aan
deprives her of the chance to earn reward, and it may
make her forget something of the Qur’aan, or she may
need to recite it for the purposes of teaching or
learning.
From the above, it is clear that the evidence of those
who allow a menstruating woman to recite Qur’aan is
stronger. If a woman wants to err on the side of
caution, she can limit her recitation to the passages
which she is afraid of forgetting.
It is very important to note that what we have been
discussing here is restricted to what a menstruating
woman recites from memory. When it comes to reading
from the Mus-haf (the Arabic text itself), a different
rule applies. The correct view of the scholars is that
it is forbidden to touch the mus-haf when one is in
any kind of state of impurity, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “… which none can
touch except the purified.” [al-Waaqi’ah 56:79]. In a
letter to ‘Amr ibn Hazm, the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) told the people of
Yemen: “No one should touch the Qur’aan except one who
is taahir (pure).” (Reported by Maalik, 1/199; al-Nisaa’i,
8/57; Ibn Hibbaan, 793; al-Bayhaqi, 1/87. Al-Haafiz
ibn Hajar said: A group of scholars classed this
hadeeth as saheeh because it is so well known. Al-Shaafi’i
said: It is proven by them that it was a letter sent
by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said: “This
letter is famous among the scholars of seerah, and is
so well known among the scholars that it does not need
an isnaad. It is like tawaatur because the people
accepted and recognized it. Shaykh al-Albani said that
its is saheeh. Al-Talkhees al-Habeer, 4/17. See also:
Nasb al-Raayah, 1/196; Irwaa’ al-Ghaleel, 1/158).
(Haashiyat Ibn ‘Aabideen, 1/159; al-Majmoo’, 1/356;
Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’, 1/147; al-Mughni, 3/461; Nayl al-Awtaar,
1/226; Majmoo’ al-Fataawaa, 21/460; al-Sharh al-Mumti’
li’l-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 1/291)
And Allaah knows best.
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