Ruling on Intimacy During Menstruation
Source: Fatāwā Amunpūrī by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amunpūrī
❖ Question
What is the ruling on intimacy (mubāsharah) during menstruation?
❖ Answer
Intimacy is of two types:
① Intercourse (jīmāʿ): This is harām during menstruation.
② Other forms of intimacy (such as kissing, embracing, and physical closeness without intercourse): These are permissible.
❖ Evidence from Aḥādīth
◈ ʿĀʾishah (RA):
((كان يأمرني، فأتزر، فيباشرني، وأنا حائض))
“The Prophet ﷺ used to order me to wear a waist wrapper, and then he would engage in intimacy with me while I was menstruating.”
— Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 299, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 297
This proves that intimacy apart from intercourse is permissible during menstruation.
❖ Scholarly Consensus
◈ Imām al-Nawawī (d. 676H):
((اعلم أن مباشرة الحائض أقسام، أحدها أن يباشرها بالجماع فى الفرج، فهذا حرام بإجماع المسلمين، بنص القرآن العزيز، والسنة الصحيحة))
“Know that intimacy with a menstruating woman is of different types. One type is intercourse in the vagina. This is harām by the consensus of Muslims, based on the clear texts of the Qur’an and authentic Sunnah.”
— Sharḥ al-Nawawī 3/204; al-Majmūʿ 2/359
He further said:
((المباشرة فيما فوق السرة وتحت الركبة بالذكر أو بالقبلة أو المعانقة أو اللمس أو غير ذلك وهو حلال باتفاق العلماء))
“Intimacy above the navel and below the knees—whether by touching, kissing, embracing, or similar acts other than intercourse—is ḥalāl by the consensus of scholars.”
Conclusion
- Intercourse during menstruation: Strictly prohibited (ḥarām).
- Other forms of intimacy: Permissible, as long as they avoid the area of intercourse.
- This ruling is established by the Qur’an, authentic Sunnah, and scholarly consensus.
