period – My Little Breathing Space – I write for the few, not the many. The few that are left out!

04 May, 2020

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Why Aren’t Women Allowed to Pray or Fast During Their Period?

Q Why are women not allowed to pray during their period?

ANSWER

Sheikh Ahmad Saad 04 May, 2020

Short Answer:

Almighty Allah lifted the load of prayer and the burden of fasting from woman’s shoulders during this period. Menses is neither a funny nor a nice experience. There is an important maxim in Islam: “difficulty brings ease,” meaning that when a person is experiencing anything difficult, Islam will give some concessions that make life easier.
So, the point is not that women are “not allowed to” pray and fast but are rather exempted from observing prayer and fasting at such times, because these two duties are difficult and demand much effort.

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Salam Dear Nagwa,

Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.

I also thank you a lot for such an intriguing question that displays how our sisters are keen on knowing the wisdom behind religious ordinances.

Surely this is good, but still, we cannot always grasp the wisdom behind everything.

Allah’s Wisdom Exceeds Ours

As Muslims and as sensible human beings who trust that this universe functions according to a fixed, well-designed system, we should believe that nothing happens haphazardly or aimlessly.

Rather, everything is well-planned and sorted out.

We read in the Quran what means:

Our Lord! You have not created this in vain. (Quran 3:191)

“This” here refers to Allah’s creation in general.

Because we have limited minds and limited spiritual abilities, we are not able to understand the wisdom behind everything in this universe.

This inability to understand sometimes proves to be very important because such things will constitute a test of our faith and submission to Allah, and our trust in His infinite knowledge.

Physical Suffering

Now, we come to your question: why are women not allowed to pray or fast while they are having their menses?

Basically, any mature woman who has experienced menses knows what type of physical suffering a woman goes through while she is experiencing her monthly period.

Due to such physical suffering, any woman will simply tell you that menses is neither a funny nor a nice experience.

Besides, being under such pains, women are usually not in a good mood.

Her changing hormones cause her to feel moody and irritable, as well.

Yet, it is important for the removal of any harmful material from the body of the woman since such harmful material comes out with this blood.

So, it is a healthy thing for women to have this, but not every healthy thing is nice or easy.

When you are ill, you have to take your medication, even if it’s bitter.

It is not a nice experience to take the medicine but still it is very important for you to recover and heal speedily.

Why Aren’t Women Allowed to Pray or Fast During Their Period?

When Allah decreed menstruation on the daughters of Adam, He — Glory be to Him — wanted it to be a sign of mercy to them, since this natural process relieves the body from the harmful materials that could be disastrous if they remain inside the body.

Taking all such physical and mental pain into consideration, Almighty Allah, Who takes care of His servants even more than their own parents, has lifted the load of prayer and the burden of fasting from woman’s shoulders during this period.

So, the point is not that women are “not allowed to” pray and fast but are rather exempted from observing prayer and fasting at such times, because these two duties are difficult and demand much effort.

Islam Aims To Remove Hardship

In this regard, we should bear in mind that one of the basic goals of Islamic Shari`ah is to remove harm and difficulty from people’s lives.

The many texts of the Quran and Sunnah serve as a support for this, giving one clear message that Almighty Allah does not intend to place any difficulty on the shoulders of His servants.

This has led many Muslim scholars to reach a very great maxim that summarizes a lot of things in this regard: “difficulty brings ease,” meaning that when a person is experiencing anything difficult, Islam will give him some concessions that make life easy for him.

Under this maxim, we can understand why a traveler is exempted from fasting, why a sick person is allowed not to fast, why a handicapped person is allowed to observe prayer while sitting down, and why a pregnant woman or a woman who is breast-feeding is entitled to break her fasting.

All this is meant to remove hardship and difficulty away from people, because this is one of the highest objectives of Islam.

“Impure” Does NOT Mean “Unclean”

Needless to mention here that there is a big difference between being in a state of “impurity” and being “unclean”.

While the former refers to an immaterial state that has nothing to do with the gender of the person and is by no means offensive, the latter is more linked with filth and dirty stuff.

Impurity is a temporary state, whereas uncleanliness is a choice to be unhygienic.

A person who washes his or her private parts but has not performed ghusl (ritual ablution) is clean but is still impure, Islamically.

This means that he or she does not qualify, while in this state, to pray or fast, simply because he or she needs to meet some basic standards.

Now, we see a balance in the religion of Islam that came to remove all difficulties and hardships from the lives of the servants of Allah and allow them to celebrate His praise cheerfully and willfully.

Dr. Mohsen Haredy, a member of the Ask About Islam consultant team, would like to add the following:

It is worth mentioning that not praying and not observing fasting during the menses are considered in themselves an act of worship.
As in some acts of worship, there is a divine command that requires showing submission and surrender without questioning the reason behind it.
The significance of this command lies in our obedience to it: Showing obedience to Allah and His Messenger.

What women CAN do in menses:

Listen to the Qur’an on YouTube
Istighfaar
Read durood
Dhikr and Tasbeeh
Listen to lectures and programmes online

https://myrihla.com/2017/08/17/why-we-dont-pray-when-were-on-our-period-a-reflection-on-allahs-attributes-as-the-merciful-and-the-creator/ img_20170905_121646

I came across the post below on Buruj Lan-dan’s page on why we as Muslim women don’t pray when we’re on our monthly periods, and it’s a topic that’s been on my mind for a while so I wanted to share it with you adding my own reflections at the end.

Why don’t we pray when we are on our monthly cycles?

A dear friend of mine explained it to me and it blew me away. May Allah protect her always.

There is not a deed as great as the prayer. And no one is excused from it under any circumstances. Even men in battles are commanded to pray in whatever way they can.

But the only time a servant of Allah is entirely excused from praying and from even making up the missed prayers is when as a woman you suffer from all the difficulties that come with menstruation.

I love how my friend worded the wisdom behind it.

“Allah has mercy on you because He knows no one around you will”

Your boss doesn’t care if you come late to work because you were suffering from cramps in the morning. Your children don’t demand any less on those days of weakness and tiredness. Your husband doesn’t have any more patience with your mood swings when sadness or anger overwhelms you for no reason. When you step out, nobody knows how much your body either aches or how much your mind is distracted by incessant thoughts. You are on your own.

So, Allah the Most Merciful, Ar-Raheem, Ar Rahman, removes His obligation on you because no one else will.

We could’ve been commanded to make them up – if the reason was purely Taharah (purity) but we weren’t. He gives us a break when no one will.

The other time a woman is excused is when she has given birth. Her body, her mind labours to bring another life into the world and becomes occupied with taking care of it – and again Allah excuses her.

This is what makes me fall in love with Allah and Islam even more. For only Allah could know the intricate details of our struggle and give us what we need the most – mercy. – From Buruj Lan-Dan’s Facebook Page

My Reflection

It’s common for us to jokingly refer to our periods as holidays because we’re absolved from the responsibility of praying. After a few days however the effect quickly wanes and we find ourselves craving the doses of serenity that we get through prayer. One of the focal benefits of Salah is that it forces us to remember Allah SWT hence being away from it can sometimes make us feel like we’re no longer in that state.

Whenever I’m on my period, I’m reminded of the ayah below:

“We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their own selves until it becomes manifest to them that this (the Quran) is the truth” [Fussilat 41:53]

On the earth are Signs for those of assured Faith; as also in your own selves: will yet not then see?” [Al-Dhariyat 51:20 – 21]

In fact, my periods are a time when I am heavily conscious of Allah. Marvelling at the creation of my body and how perfectly it functions. Especially on months when I go through heavy periods, and I’m continually amazed at the way my body self-regulates. (No kidding, some days I feel like I’m gonna bleed out!) There are different ways in our lives that Allah reminds us that is Al-Khaliq, The Creator, and for me, my menstrual cycles are a special reminder of the one who has created me and created me in the best of forms.

I mean think about it, having regular menstrual cycles is a sign that the body is functioning normally, so remember to thank Allah for your health and the numerous blessings that he has given you through your body.