Reading Qur’aan during menses

 

Is 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.