Question:
Please clarify for me if Muslim women can touch and recite the Holy Quran during their periods?
Answer:
Salaam sister
In the established sunnah of prophet Muhammad(sws) only three religious rituals are prohibited for women during their menstruation cycle:praying,fasting and circumambulation(tawaf) of Kaa’ba.Regarding reading or touching Quran during menses the opinion of scholars is based on the following hadith;
“A lady who is passing through her menstrual cycle and a person is in a state of janabah should not read anything from Quran”(Abu Daud,Tirmidhi)
Some scholars of hadith have termed the above hadith as sahih and some as hassan therefore the prohibition of touching Quran during menses cannot be based on the above hadith.
The reference of {surah Waaqiah 56:79} is out of context and cannot be applied here.This verse is referring to the revelation of Quran stressing that none other than pure(Angels) can touch it during revelation.Touching of the copy of Quran is not under discussion here.
Other reference in support of the argument that Quran should not be touched in a state of uncleanliness is a letter from Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) to Amr ibn Hazm in which prophet(pbuh) said that “no one should touch the Quran except the one who is pure”(Nissa’i,Ibn Hibban,Al-Bayhaqi).According to a group of scholars this letter is sahih but there is no consensus in the ummah about the credibility of even this letter.
Keeping all the above points under consideration it becomes clear that there is no reliable directive in Qur’an or Hadith to suggest that menstruating women cannot touch or recite Quran. It is possible that because of the immense respect that we have for Qur’an, individuals may not feel comfortable to touch the lines of the Qur’an whilst having periods but it should be appreciated that the shariah hasn’t forbidden it.We must never try to impose restrictions which Allah and Allah’s Rasul have’nt pressed on clearly.
If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us again
Best regards
UIUK team
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