The ruling on a menstruating woman entering the mosque to listen to the sermon

Question : Shaykh, this sister who is asking says: What is the ruling on a menstruating woman entering the mosque to listen to sermons and lectures and seek knowledge? May you be rewarded.

Answer : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, his Companions, and those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. It is not permissible for a menstruating woman or a woman with post-natal bleeding to remain in the mosque, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he ordered the women to come out for the festival prayer—the young girls and those who stay in their chambers—ordered them to stay away from the prayer area, meaning the festival prayer area. This indicates that it is not permissible for a menstruating woman to remain in the mosque. As for her passing through the mosque, there is nothing wrong with it, provided she is safe from blood falling on the mosque.