1. Such a woman cannot perform salat. It is declared in a hadith-i sharif, "A menstruating woman cannot perform salat" (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud).
2. She cannot fast. [It is declared in a hadith-i sharif narrated by our mother Hadrat Aisha that the fasts that are not observed during menstruation must be made up later while salats that are not performed during menstruation are forgiven. (Bukhari)]
3. She cannot read the Qur'an. A hadith-i sharif says, "A menstruating woman and a person who is junub [ritually impure person because of sexual intercourse or semen discharge] cannot read the Qur'an al-karim" (Tirmidhi).
4. She cannot touch a Mus-haf. As a matter of fact, it is said in the Qur'an al-karim, "No one can touch the Qur'an except the purified ones" (Al-Waqi'ah 79).
It is stated in a hadith-i sharif, "Only the one who is purified from hadas [minor and major ritual impurity, menstruation, and post natal bleeding] can touch the Qur'an" (Nasai, Hakim, Bayhaqi, Tabarani, Daraqutni).
5. She cannot enter a mosque. A hadith-i sharif says, "It is not halal [lawful] for a junub person and a menstruating woman to enter a mosque" (Ibn Majah).
6. She cannot perform the tawaf (circumambulating the Ka'ba, which is one of the rituals of pilgrimage). A hadith-i sharif says, "Circumambulating the House of Allah is like performing salat. That is, it is necessary to be with an ablution [wudu']" (Tirmidhi).
7. She is forbidden from sexual intercourse. (Al-Baqara 222)
8. It is haram (prohibited) to have anal intercourse with one's wife both during and after menstruation. Oral sex is not permissible both during and after menstruation, either.
9. A woman must let her husband know when her menstruation begins and ends. It is a grave sin not to say it when her husband asks her about it. A hadith-i sharif states, "A woman who conceals the beginning and the termination of her menstruation from her husband is accursed" (Jawhara).
10. If a menstruating woman who does not have her husband or a mahram (unmarriageable) relative with her sets off a long-distance journey, she is not considered a traveler. If she, after her menstruation is over, travels to a distance of more than 104 km from the place she is staying, only then will she be considered a traveler.
Question: I am learning Islamic calligraphy. Sometimes, we are writing Qur'anic verses. Is it permissible to write Qur'anic verses while I am menstruating?
ANSWER
It is not permissible for a menstruating woman either to touch a Qur'anic verse or to write it. (Halabi)
Question: My kids are memorizing Qur'anic chapters. How can I help them during my menses if they stumble over the words?
ANSWER
You are not allowed to recite a full verse, but you can say only one word. For example, if your kid says, "iyyaka," you can correct it by saying, "It is not pronounced like that. It is 'iyyaaka.'"
Question: Some books that explain basic Islamic knowledge contain Qur'anic chapters (sura) that we recite during salat. Is it permissible for a menstruating lady to read these books?
ANSWER
She cannot read the Qur'anic verses in these books. Nor can she touch them. However, she can read the Islamic knowledge in them.
Question: Is it permissible for a menstruating woman to listen to the Qur'an al-karim recited at home by her husband, her son, or her daughter?
ANSWER
There is nothing wrong with listening to the recitation of the Qur'an al-karim on condition that she will not touch it. However, such a woman is not allowed to enter a mosque in order to listen to the recitation of the Qur'an al-karim. Entering a mosque in this state is haram. Besides, one is not allowed to enter a mosque without an ablution (wudu'). (Mawqufat)
Those who say, "It does not bring thawab (reward) to recite the Qur'an al-karim at home and for others to listen to it," are uttering slander against our religion. It is very rewarding for women to listen to the Qur'an al-karim recited at home by a female instead of going to a mosque to listen to it.
Question: If a mosque has two doors, is it permissible for a menstruating woman to enter from one door and go out from the other? Is it permitted to enter a mosque without having an ablution (wudu')?
ANSWER
It is haram to enter a mosque or to even walk through a mosque when one is junub and when a woman is menstruating. If one has no other way than the one leading through a mosque or if one becomes junub in a mosque or if one cannot find water anywhere but in a mosque, one makes a tayammum (dry ablution) and then one can go in and out of the mosque. Entering a mosque without an ablution is makruh. (Durar)
Question: While a woman is menstruating or when one does not have an ablution, is it permissible to hold translations or tafsirs of the Qur'an al-karim?
ANSWER
It is not permissible.
Question: Some Islamic books contain Arabic passages from the Qur'an al-karim. While a woman is menstruating, is she required not to touch only the page that contains passages or not to touch the book itself?
ANSWER
She is required not to touch only the Arabic passages from the Qur'an al-karim on that page, not the book itself.
Question: Is a menstruating woman not allowed to learn how to read the Qur'an al-karim? For example, can she not read and write the Qur'anic letters?
ANSWER
She is allowed to write and read only the letters. She can neither touch nor read the Qur'anic verses. Nor can she touch the words of the verses.
Question: Is a menstruating woman allowed to touch and read a Qur'anic verse while she is teaching the Qur'an?
ANSWER
A menstruating woman cannot touch Qur'anic verses with her hand, nor can she read them. She can only make corrections in the pronunciation of a student by uttering only one word, such as, zalika, ulaaika, muflihun.
Question: Is it not permissible for a menstruating woman to enter the garden of a mosque, either?
ANSWER
She can enter its garden. The garden of a mosque does not take the same ruling as the mosque itself.
Reading the Qur'an during menses
Question: Is it not wrong to say, "A menstruating woman can read (or recite) the Qur'an al-karim for protection"?
ANSWER
Yes, it is wrong. Such a ruling is not written in any of the dependable Islamic books. Each verse and each letter of the Qur'an al-karim is a source of healing. One can read or recite every verse and chapter with the intention of making recovery and being protected. But a woman during her menses may recite only the verses that contain prayers with the intention of praying.
While one is junub or a woman is menstruating, it is not haram to recite the Fatiha and the verses that contain prayers with an intention to make a prayer, yet it is mustahab [recommended] to say any prayer with an ablution. (Endless Bliss)
A menstruating woman is forbidden from reading (or reciting) even less than a full verse with the intention of reading the Qur'an. But it is permissible to read (or recite) it on a word-by-word basis because it is permissible for a female who teaches the Qur'an al-karim to teach it word by word. A menstruating woman can recite the Fatiha or verses that contain prayers, such as "Rabbana aatina …," with the intention of making a prayer. She cannot recite other verses, either with the intention of supplication or for any purpose whatsoever. (Radd-ul-mukhtar)
Question: If a menstruating woman attains purification in the mid-morning and if she has not done anything that invalidates the fast since the time of imsak (the time when fasting begins) and has not eaten or drunk anything, can she make intention at that moment and start any kind of fast?
ANSWER
No, she cannot. Being in a state of menstruation is an obstacle to being in a state of fasting or starting a fast. If her menstruation had stopped before the time of imsak, then she could have made intention.
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