The Ruling on a Menstruating Woman Touching the Noble Qur'an
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Question: We are female students studying in a girls' school, and in the Qur'an class, the teacher orders us to recite the Qur'an while we are in a state of excuse. We are shy to inform the teacher, so we recite out of consideration for that. Is this permissible? And if it is not permissible, how should we act on exam days if we encounter them while in a state of menstruation?
Answer: The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed regarding the recitation of the Qur'an by a menstruating woman and a woman with post-natal bleeding. A group of scholars held that it is forbidden, equating them with a person in a state of major ritual impurity. They said: It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that a person in a state of major ritual impurity does not recite the Qur'an, because major ritual impurity is a major state of impurity, and menstruation is like that, and post-natal bleeding is like that. So they said: The menstruating woman and the woman with post-natal bleeding do not recite until they become pure. They also cited as evidence a hadith narrated by al-Tirmidhi from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 131Da'if (Darussalam).
Others among the scholars held that it is permissible for a menstruating woman and a woman with post-natal bleeding to recite the Qur'an from memory. This is because their periods last for many days, so it is not correct to analogize them to a person in a state of major ritual impurity, because his period is short. He is able, once he has relieved himself, to take a full ritual bath and recite. As for the menstruating woman and the woman with post-natal bleeding, they are not able to do that. They said regarding the aforementioned hadith cited by those who prohibit it that it is a weak hadith, weakened by the scholars because it is from the narration of Isma'il ibn 'Iyadh from the people of the Hijaz, and his narration from them is weak.
This opinion is the correct one. It is permissible for a menstruating woman and a woman with post-natal bleeding to recite the Qur'an from memory, because their periods last long, so analogizing them to a person in a state of major ritual impurity is not correct. Accordingly, there is nothing wrong with the student reciting the Qur'an, and likewise the teacher, in exams and outside of exams, from memory, not from the mushaf.
As for if one of them needs to read from the mushaf, there is no blame on her, provided that she does so with a barrier, such as gloves or the like.
Answer: The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed regarding the recitation of the Qur'an by a menstruating woman and a woman with post-natal bleeding. A group of scholars held that it is forbidden, equating them with a person in a state of major ritual impurity. They said: It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that a person in a state of major ritual impurity does not recite the Qur'an, because major ritual impurity is a major state of impurity, and menstruation is like that, and post-natal bleeding is like that. So they said: The menstruating woman and the woman with post-natal bleeding do not recite until they become pure. They also cited as evidence a hadith narrated by al-Tirmidhi from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
The menstruating woman does not recite - nor the Junub - anything from the Qur'an.
لا تقرأ الحائض ولا الجنب شيئًا من القرآنOthers among the scholars held that it is permissible for a menstruating woman and a woman with post-natal bleeding to recite the Qur'an from memory. This is because their periods last for many days, so it is not correct to analogize them to a person in a state of major ritual impurity, because his period is short. He is able, once he has relieved himself, to take a full ritual bath and recite. As for the menstruating woman and the woman with post-natal bleeding, they are not able to do that. They said regarding the aforementioned hadith cited by those who prohibit it that it is a weak hadith, weakened by the scholars because it is from the narration of Isma'il ibn 'Iyadh from the people of the Hijaz, and his narration from them is weak.
This opinion is the correct one. It is permissible for a menstruating woman and a woman with post-natal bleeding to recite the Qur'an from memory, because their periods last long, so analogizing them to a person in a state of major ritual impurity is not correct. Accordingly, there is nothing wrong with the student reciting the Qur'an, and likewise the teacher, in exams and outside of exams, from memory, not from the mushaf.
As for if one of them needs to read from the mushaf, there is no blame on her, provided that she does so with a barrier, such as gloves or the like.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.