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.