What is Permissible for a Man with His Wife While She Is Menstruating

We welcome the Shaykh and say: O Shaykh! In this session, we will complete the message from the listener in Hadramawt who asked many useful questions in previous sessions. He asked about prayer, about the interpretation of verses, about visiting graves, and about honoring the awliya (close friends of Allah). In this session, he asks about what is permissible for a man with his wife during her menstruation. The listener from Hadramawt says in this message: A man asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said to him: . We request that the hadith be narrated correctly and that the meaning of "her lower garment" be explained?
Answer: This hadith is famous from Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he asked him: meaning: her chest and her belly above the navel. This is what is permissible for him to touch of her. However, the hadith is weak. The correct ruling is that everything is permissible for him except intercourse. This hadith is weak. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: narrated by Muslim. He used to order Aisha and his wives to wear their lower garments when he wanted to touch them. So this is better; it is recommended for him to order her to wear her lower garment if he wants to touch her, because it is further from falling into what Allah has forbidden. But it is not obligatory. The obligatory thing is to avoid intercourse. If he avoids intercourse, there is no harm in him touching her body, even if he touches her thigh or her private part. Touching her thigh does no harm. The obligatory thing is only to be cautious of what Allah has forbidden, which is intercourse. And if he orders her to wear her lower garment, it is better so that he is further from falling into the forbidden. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to order his wives (peace and blessings be upon him) to wear their lower garments, and he used to touch them (peace and blessings be upon him), as Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and others reported.
However, what is forbidden is intercourse, as indicated by what Muslim narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: meaning: intercourse. The Jews used to exaggerate in this matter; when a woman would menstruate, they would not eat with her, nor drink with her, nor lie with her in the bed. This was part of their exaggeration, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) condemned it and said: meaning: except for intercourse. Yes.