Can a Menstruating Woman Enter the Mosque?

Authored by: Sheikh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani (may Allah protect him)

Question:
Can a menstruating woman enter the mosque? Please clarify in light of the Qur'an and Hadith.

Answer:
There are significant differences of opinion on this issue. However, the more cautious stance is that menstruating women and those in a state of major ritual impurity (junub) should not remain in the mosque unless passing through due to necessity. They should not stay there. This ruling can be derived from the following verse of the Qur'an:

"Do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying, nor when you are in a state of major impurity (junub), except when passing through."

— (Surah An-Nisa: 43)

Note:
The area where the prayer is actually offered is considered the mosque. If prayer is not performed on the roof, it is not considered part of the mosque's ruling. The essential point is to determine which areas are designated as a mosque. If congregational prayers are not performed on the roof, there is no harm in menstruating women or those in a state of impurity going there. Furthermore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"The mosque is not permissible for a menstruating woman or a person in a state of major impurity."

— [Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Purification: 645]

Rulings on Worship During Menstruation and Postnatal Bleeding​

Question:
I have read in a book that it is forbidden for a woman in menstruation or postnatal bleeding to perform prayers, engage in sexual relations, enter the mosque, fast, or touch the Qur'an. Please clarify these rulings in light of the Qur'an and Hadith, especially regarding entering the mosque and touching the Qur'an.

Answer:
During menstruation or postnatal bleeding, performing prayers, fasting, engaging in sexual relations, and entering the mosque are forbidden. The issue of touching the Qur'an is disputed. The evidence for these rulings is as follows:

Narrated by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him):

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) went out to the place of prayer on the day of Eid al-Adha or Eid al-Fitr. He passed by a group of women and said: “O women, give charity, for I have seen that most of the inhabitants of Hell are from you.” They asked, “Why is that, O Messenger of Allah?” He said: “Because you curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you.” They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what is the deficiency in our intelligence and religion?” He said: “Is not the testimony of a woman equal to half that of a man?” They said, “Yes.” He said, “This is due to the deficiency in her intelligence. Is it not the case that when a woman is menstruating, she neither prays nor fasts?” They said, “Yes.” He said, “This is the deficiency in her religion.”

— [Bukhari, Book of Menstruation, Hadith 304]

The same ruling applies to postnatal bleeding.

Narrated by Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her):

“During the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), women in postnatal bleeding used to refrain from prayers for forty days.”

— [Abu Dawud, Book of Purification: 311; Ibn Majah: 648; Tirmidhi: 139]

Another narration by Masah al-Azdiyah mentions that she performed Hajj and visited Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her). She said, “O Mother of the Believers, Samra bin Jundub orders women to make up for missed prayers during menstruation.” Umm Salamah responded, “They do not need to make up the missed prayers. One of the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) would sit for forty days during her postnatal bleeding, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not instruct her to make up for the missed prayers.”

— [Abu Dawud, Book of Purification: 312; Hakim 1/175; Bayhaqi 1/341]

Imam Hakim states that this Hadith is authentic, and Imam Dhahabi concurs.

Imam Tirmidhi comments: “The consensus among the scholars of the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the Tabi'un, and those who came after them is that women in postnatal bleeding should refrain from prayer for forty days unless they experience purification earlier, in which case they should perform ghusl (ritual purification) and resume prayer.”

— [Tirmidhi with commentary by Ahmad Shakir 1/258]

Sexual Relations During Menstruation:

Sexual intercourse during menstruation is also prohibited, as indicated by the verse:

"They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: It is a harm, so keep away from women during menstruation, and do not approach them until they are purified."

— (Surah Al-Baqarah: 222)

Narrated by Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him):

“Among the Jews, when a woman was menstruating, they would expel her from the house, and would not eat or drink with her, or even engage in sexual relations. The companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him about this, and Allah revealed: 'Keep away from women during menstruation.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Do everything except sexual intercourse.’"

— [Abu Dawud, Book of Purification: 258; Muslim, Book of Menstruation: 302]

This verse and the related Hadith make it clear that sexual relations with a menstruating woman are forbidden, although other interactions, such as sharing food or physical contact, are allowed.

If someone engages in sexual intercourse during menstruation, they are required to give charity as expiation, as established by the following Hadith:

"Whoever has sexual relations with a menstruating woman must give a dinar or half a dinar in charity."

— [Abu Dawud, Book of Purification: 264; Tirmidhi: 136; Ibn Majah: 630]

Touching the Qur'an During Menstruation:
A menstruating woman should not enter the mosque for worship but may pass through or pick up something from the mosque if necessary. This allowance is given, as in Surah An-Nisa (33), where a person in a state of impurity is prohibited from praying in the mosque but permitted to pass through. Since menstruation and postnatal bleeding are considered more severe forms of impurity, a woman in this state should not remain in the mosque.

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to her:

"Pass me the prayer mat from the mosque." She replied, "But I am menstruating." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Your menstruation is not in your hand.'

— [Abu Dawud, Book of Purification: 261; Muslim: 298]

Imam Tirmidhi comments that Aisha's Hadith is hasan sahih and that there is consensus among the scholars that it is permissible for a menstruating woman to pick up something from the mosque.
— [Tirmidhi with commentary by Ahmad Shakir 1/242]

As for touching the Qur'an, there is no explicit, authentic Hadith prohibiting a menstruating woman from doing so. However, scholars differ on the issue. The best practice is for a woman to handle the Qur'an in a state of purity or use a clean cloth to turn its pages, avoiding direct contact.

Imam Nawawi writes that this method is permissible without dispute.

— [Al-Majmu Sharh Al-Muhadhdhab 3/372]
 
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