Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 222

(Ayah 222) ➊ {”الْمَحِيْضِ“} is a verbal noun from { ”حَاضَتِ الْمَرْأَۃُ تَحِيْضُ“ } (ض), its original meaning is "to flow." What is meant is the blood of a woman that comes every month according to habit. Blood that comes contrary to habit is istihada (illness).
The word {” اَذًى“} comes in the meanings of discomfort, illness, and impurity. Because it is indefinite, it has been translated as "a kind of impurity." Its being impure is obvious; from a medical perspective as well, a woman in those days is closer to illness than health, and in this state, intercourse can be a cause of illness for both husband and wife. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says that among the Jews, when a woman menstruated, they would neither eat nor drink with her, nor live together in the house. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about this, so Allah revealed this verse: «وَ يَسْـَٔلُوْنَكَ عَنِ الْمَحِيْضِ قُلْ هُوَ اَذًى فَاعْتَزِلُوا النِّسَآءَ فِي الْمَحِيْضِ» [ البقرۃ : ۲۲۲ ] Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do everything except intercourse." [ مسلم، الحیض،باب جواز غسل الحائض … : ۳۰۲ ] It is explicitly mentioned in the hadiths that in this state, it is permissible for the husband to kiss the woman, embrace her, in short, everything except intercourse. She can stay at home, cook food, breastfeed the child, in short, do every household task, but going to the mosque and prayer and fasting are not permissible for her.
➋ {حَتّٰى يَطْهُرْنَ :} is from the form { ”نَصَرَ“ } and { ”كَرُمَ“ }, meaning "become pure." {”تَطَهَّرْنَ“} is from the form of tafa'ul, which has an intensive meaning, i.e., "become thoroughly pure," perform ghusl (ritual bath). From {”حَتّٰى يَطْهُرْنَ“} it is understood that intercourse is prohibited until purification from menstruation, but Allah has permitted intercourse after {”تَطَهَّرْنَ“} (i.e., after performing ghusl). Most scholars say that intercourse is not permissible before ghusl. Tabari has mentioned consensus of the scholars on this, although some scholars consider it permissible to have intercourse after purification and after washing the private part, but the first opinion is more cautious.
➌ { فَاْتُوْهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ اَمَرَكُمُ اللّٰهُ :} {”فَاْتُوْهُنَّ“} does not mean that you must have intercourse with them, but after a prohibition, when a command comes, it means permission, as in: « وَ اِذَا حَلَلْتُمْ فَاصْطَادُوْا » [ المائدۃ : ۲ ] "When you have taken off the ihram, then hunt." "From where Allah has commanded you" means that the place (i.e., the private part) from which you were forbidden to have intercourse, now you are permitted to go to her from that place. Permission for the back passage was neither given before nor now; that is pure filth, and it has no relation to {” الْمُتَطَهِّرِيْنَ“} (those who keep themselves very pure). Similarly, approaching in the state of menstruation is not befitting of {”الْمُتَطَهِّرِيْنَ“}. If someone does so in this state, he can become deserving of Allah's love again by repenting much. This explanation of {”التَّوَّابِيْنَ“} and {”الْمُتَطَهِّرِيْنَ“} is according to the context of the verse, otherwise the words are general, in which much repentance from every sin and much avoidance of every impurity is necessary to attain Allah's love.
➍ It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever goes to his wife during menstruation should give a dinar or half a dinar in charity." [ أبو داوٗد، النکاح، باب فی کفارۃ من أتی حائضًا : ۲۱۶۸۔ نسائی : ۲۹۰۔ ترمذی : ۱۳۶۔ ابن ماجہ : ۶۴۰ ] Shaykh al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) has declared this hadith Sahih. There is a choice between giving a dinar or half a dinar in charity.

222. 1. After reaching puberty, the blood that comes to every woman during her monthly cycle is called menstruation (hayd), and sometimes, due to illness, blood comes contrary to the usual pattern, which is called istihada, whose ruling is different from menstruation. During the days of menstruation, women are exempt from prayer and are prohibited from fasting; however, making up the missed fasts later is necessary. For men, only intercourse is prohibited, but kissing and embracing are permissible. Similarly, during these days, a woman can cook and perform other tasks.

222. 2. From where permission is granted, meaning from the private part, because even during menstruation, intercourse from this place was prohibited, and now after purification, the permission being given refers to (farj, private part), not any other part. From this, it is deduced that the use of a woman's anus is forbidden, as is further clarified in the ahadith.

222. And they ask you about menstruation. Say, "It is a state of impurity [295], so keep away from women [296] during menstruation, and do not approach them until they are purified. But when they have purified themselves, then go to them as Allah has commanded you [297]." Indeed, Allah loves those who turn to Him in repentance and those who purify themselves.

[295] The meaning of ﴿اذي﴾ is also affliction, illness, and impurity. Thus, from a medical perspective, during menstruation, a woman is in such a state that she is closer to illness than to health. The duration of menstruation varies according to each woman's body and temperament, which is generally at least three days and at most up to ten days, and every woman knows her own habit (duration of menstruation).

[296] "Keep away" and "do not approach"—both refer to the prohibition of intercourse. Both the Jews and Christians were guilty of excess and negligence in this matter. The Jews would keep such women in a separate house during menstruation and would not even eat food cooked by their hands, while the Christians would not even refrain from intercourse during menstruation. Thus, when the Muslims asked you about this, Allah Almighty revealed this verse. According to this verse, husband and wife can live together, eat together, and even the husband can kiss his wife, embrace her, and cling to her (and this is the literal meaning of "mubasharat"), and in the Quran, where at another place ﴿باشروهن﴾ is used in the meaning of intercourse, it is in a figurative sense, not literal. Only intercourse is not allowed. The acts that a woman cannot perform during menstruation are as follows:

Restrictions During Menstruation:

1. She cannot perform prayer, and during menstruation, prayer is excused for her; she is not required to make up for them.
2. She also cannot fast. But fasting is not excused; rather, she is required to make up for them later.
3. Except for the circumambulation (tawaf) of the Ka'bah, she can perform all other rites of Hajj, but for the obligatory tawaf of the Ka'bah, she must wait until she becomes pure.
4. She cannot enter the Ka'bah or any mosque.
5. She cannot touch the Quran. However, according to most scholars, she is permitted to recite the Noble Quran verbally.
6. Istihada (irregular bleeding) is completely different from menstruation. Istihada is an illness, whereas menstruation is not an illness but a part of a woman's natural habit. Therefore, in istihada, all the restrictions that apply during menstruation are lifted, and even intercourse is permitted.

[297] Here, "command" does not refer to any such legal ruling whose fulfillment is obligatory, but rather to that natural law which has been instilled in the nature of every living being and which every soul naturally knows. If one acts contrary to it, i.e., has intercourse in the anus, then he will be guilty. As Allah says:

﴿فَمَنِ ابْتَغيٰ وَرَاءَ ذٰلِكَ فَاُولٰيِٕكَ هُمُ الْعٰدُوْنَ ﴾ [المؤمنون: 7]