Is it permissible for me to read books, for example, Fiqh al-Sunnah or other religious books, while I am menstruating? Please inform us, O honorable Shaykh.
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The questioner : Is it permissible for me to read books, for example, Fiqh al-Sunnah or other religious books, while I am menstruating? Please inform us, O honorable Shaykh, may Allah guide your steps?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. We say that it is permissible for a menstruating woman to remember Allah, to glorify Him, to say Allahu Akbar, and to read whatever she wishes from religious books, whether these books are from Qur'anic exegesis, from Prophetic hadiths, from books of Islamic jurisprudence, or others.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : There is no blame on her for that. As for reading the Qur'an while menstruating, the scholars have differed on this, but the stronger position in our view is that it is not forbidden for her to read the Qur'an if she needs to do so.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : For example, if she is a teacher who needs to read the Qur'an in front of the female students for teaching purposes, or if she is a student who needs to read the Qur'an for an exam or something similar, then there is nothing wrong with that. This is because, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, there is no authentic, explicit Sunnah prohibiting a menstruating woman from reading the Qur'an. The original ruling is that the conscience is free and that it is permissible. This is a matter of widespread necessity; if it had been a forbidden matter, the Sunnah would have been clear and distinct regarding it, not hidden from anyone. Therefore, following the more cautious approach, we say that if a woman needs to read the Qur'an while menstruating, there is no blame on her for that. Otherwise, she can suffice with glorifying Allah, saying Allahu Akbar, saying La ilaha illa Allah, and reading religious books, as in this question.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
This message came from the sender M H J from al-Madinah al-Munawwarah. In this message, there is a set of questions. He says in the first question: Guide us, and may Allah guide you to what is good and righteous.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. We say that it is permissible for a menstruating woman to remember Allah, to glorify Him, to say Allahu Akbar, and to read whatever she wishes from religious books, whether these books are from Qur'anic exegesis, from Prophetic hadiths, from books of Islamic jurisprudence, or others.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : There is no blame on her for that. As for reading the Qur'an while menstruating, the scholars have differed on this, but the stronger position in our view is that it is not forbidden for her to read the Qur'an if she needs to do so.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : For example, if she is a teacher who needs to read the Qur'an in front of the female students for teaching purposes, or if she is a student who needs to read the Qur'an for an exam or something similar, then there is nothing wrong with that. This is because, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, there is no authentic, explicit Sunnah prohibiting a menstruating woman from reading the Qur'an. The original ruling is that the conscience is free and that it is permissible. This is a matter of widespread necessity; if it had been a forbidden matter, the Sunnah would have been clear and distinct regarding it, not hidden from anyone. Therefore, following the more cautious approach, we say that if a woman needs to read the Qur'an while menstruating, there is no blame on her for that. Otherwise, she can suffice with glorifying Allah, saying Allahu Akbar, saying La ilaha illa Allah, and reading religious books, as in this question.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
This message came from the sender M H J from al-Madinah al-Munawwarah. In this message, there is a set of questions. He says in the first question: Guide us, and may Allah guide you to what is good and righteous.