It is actually a differed upon matter among the scholars of Madh-hab if a menstruating or postpartum bleeding woman can recite the Qur’an for the sake of tilaawah and not during special need of teaching/learning and the likes.
The correct stance of the Maalikiyyah, Imam Malik himself, the Shaafi’iyyah, the Zahiriyyah, a narration from Imam Ahmad, many of the Hanabilah scholars, Ibn Taemiyyah, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Imam Shawkaaniy, Sheikh al-Qaradaawi and etc hold the opinion of the permissibility. While some report that the permissibility is the stance of the majority of the scholars.
However, upon further study and verification, I adopt the opinion of those who permit a woman in such state to recite the Qur’an for tilaawah.
Let’s look at the evidences of those who prohibit:
1: The verse 79 of Suratu Waaqi’ah. Allah says:
لَا يَمَسُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ
(No one should touch it “the Qur’an” except the purified ones). They translate the pronoun ه to mean the Qur’an (Mus-haf) with us today. As they also interpret that the menstruating and postpartum woman isn’t pure.
2: The hadith which states that the Prophet wrote a letter to the people of Yemen saying: “No one should touch the Qur’an except a Taahir (pure person).”
3: The hadith reported by Tirmidhi, narrated by Ibn Umar, that the Prophet said:
لا تقرأ الحائض ولا الجنب شيئاً من القرآن.
“The menstruating woman or the one with Janabah shouldn’t recite anything of the Qur’an”.
4: Their fourth major evidence is the qiyaas (analogy) that the state of janabah is the same as that of menstruation and postpartum, because they are both impure.
I assume these are the four major evidences of those who prohibit. If there’s any other one I didn’t mention, you can pls remind me of it.
Now let’s take a critical look at these evidences:
1: All these evidences are undoubtedly not strong enough to reach such conclusion of prohibition. Take the verse 79 of Suratu Waaqi’ah as an example. Non among the scholars of Tafseer among the salaf ever translated (with evidence) the verse to mean a menstruating or postpartum woman.
The الْمُطَهَّرُونَ purified ones is largely interpreted to mean the Malaa-ik (angels). Imam Tabari in his Tafseer recorded this is the saying of Abdullah bn Abbas (radiya Allahu anhu) from the chain of Atoo, as well as Sa’eed bn Jubayr, Ikrimah, Mujaahid, Dohaak, al-Kalbiy, and others.
Some among the Tafseer books added that the purified ones are the Malaa-ik and the Rusul (Messengers of Allah).
2: To understand the الْمُطَهَّرُونَ purified ones in that verse, you need to understand what the pronoun ه in the word لا يمسه stands for. Allah isn’t even referring to the Mus-haf Qur’an that me and you are holding and reciting today. What is the Qur’an Allah is referring to?
The verse 78 makes that clear. Allah says:
فِي كِتَابٍ مَّكْنُونٍ
(In a book that is protected..)
It is the copy of the Qur’an that is in the heaven (Samaau) in Lawh Mahfooz. It is been protected and no one will ever touch it except the purified ones, i.e the Malaa-ik.
3: The verse isn’t referring to the Qur’an of this world because the Qur’an hasn’t even been completely revealed and compiled then. There was no compiled Mus-haf during the time of the revelation of this verse. And there was even no compiled Qur’an during the entire life of the Prophet. The Qur’an was first compiled into a Mus-haf (book) during the time of Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq radiya Allahu anhu.
4: When you read the Tafseer of Tabari and other reliable books of Tafseer on this verse, you will then see narrations establishing that the الْمُطَهَّرُونَ purified ones are the Malaa-ik. In addition, the Messengers and Prophets and faithful Muslims who purified themselves from sins, nifaaq (hypocrisy) and shirk. The purification isn’t from that of physical impurity. No matter how physically neat the Kuffar and polytheists may appear, they still remain impure.
5: As I’ve said earlier, to understand better that the Qur’an Allah is referring to is that with the Malaa-ik, when Allah says in verse 78 فِي كِتَابٍ مَكْنُونٍ, there are verses in Suratu Abasa buttressing this verse. Allah says:
فِي صُحُفٍ مُكَرَّمَةٍ * مَرْفُوعَةٍ مُطَهَّرَةٍ * بِأَيْدِي سَفَرَةٍ * كِرَامٍ بَرَرَةٍ.
Meaning: The Qur’an is in the honored books * Exalted and purified * in the hands of the scribes (Malaa-ik) * Noble and virtuous (i.e the Malaa-ik.).
6: Another evidence that points that this verse of Waaqi’ah isn’t referring to the menstruating and postpartum woman, as well not referring to the Qur’an with us, is that this verse is Makiyyah (revealed before the hijrah) and among the qualities of the Meccan surah/verses is that they preach tawhid and affirm nubuwwah (the prophecy of Muhammad) and do not establish ahkaam (rulings) unlike the Medinite Surah and verses. So the Qur’an cannot be addressing the people of Makkah telling them not to recite the Qur’an while in the state of hayd and nifaas when they haven’t even believed in Allah, talkess of the Qur’an itself.
7: As well an evidence is the wording Allah used in this verse 79 of Waaqi’ah. Allah says:
ALMUTOHHAROONالْمُطَهَّرُونَ the already purified ones
Allah didn’t say: المتطهِّرون ALHMUTATOHHIROON the pure ones (the one to purify himself from filth). In Arabic grammar, there’s difference between these two.
Allah Himself already separated the meanings between these two.
In verse 222 of Suratu Baqarah, Allah says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ.
(Verily Allah loves those who turn to Him in repentance and He loves those who purify themselves.)
Can you see! ALMUTATOHHIRIIN – those who purify themselves (from filth). And not ALMUTOHHIROON – those who are purified already by Allah and not by themselves.
And remember the verse 222 of Baqarah is as well talking about menstruation. That 79 of Waaqi’ah has nothing doing about menstruation or humanly physical dirt and filth to be purified from by mankind himself.
8: As for the hadith that the prophet wrote a letter to the people of Yemen and told them no one should touch the Qur’an except the Taahir.
From the above explanation, you would have understood that the book the prophet was referring to was not a compiled Qur’an book because the entire Qur’an was not compiled during the lifetime of the Prophet. During the time of the message/letter, the Qur’an was not in a book, those who were alive then committed the Qur’an to their memory. Or was the prophet telling them not to touch the Qur’an in their memory? 😅Winks! So it was definitely not a Mus-haf.
Imam Ahmad commented about this hadith saying:
“أرجو أن يكون صحيحًا”
“I hope it is authentic” doubting it’s Authenticity.
That aside, Ibn Ibban in his Saheeh, Imam Maalik in Muwato reported this hadith and some of the scholars said the book the prophet was referring to was a book that comprises of rulings as well as some verses of the Qur’an and he was telling them not to allow the non-Muslims and Mushrikoon who are najas (impure) not to touch it.
Certainly, this hadith is not a distinctive clear cut evidence in this topic because it is subjected to interpretation.
9: As for the hadith reported by Tirmidhi, this is undoubtedly a weak (da’eef) hadith. Scholars of hadith declared it weak because it comes from the chain of Ismaa’eel bn Iyaash, from the people of Hijaz, and his narration from them is considered weak.
Even some extremely weak and fabricated ahadeeth have been presented in this discourse. While there’s no evidence to prove that they aren’t weak and fabricated.
10: Even such ahadeeth aside from being weak in narration (sanadan), they contradict a sound hadeeth of Aaisha whereby the Prophet told her she can do all things in the state of menstruation except the tawaaf; the prophet didn’t mention recitation of Qur’an.
11: As for their analogy evidence that both janabah and menstruation are same, thus should take the same ruling.
Firstly, you should know this as well isn’t a distinctive clear cut evidence. Couple with the fact that such analogy is even a wrong one because janabah and menstruation/nifaas aren’t the same and cannot be analogise as one.
This is because their periods are different and it takes few minutes to get cleansed from janaabah. No matter your condition, tayamum can even erase janabah unlike menstruation and nifaas that the flow and state of physical impurity takes days to stop.
12: There were menstruating and postpartum women during the time of the Prophet, even among his wives, and we never see any distinctive clear-cut evidence that prohibit them from reciting the Qur’an for tilaawah unlike we see for when in state of janabah. The only authentic acclaimed evidences are analogy and interpretation of the verse of the Qur’an. And all these, we have explained above.
13: Reciting the Qur’an from tablets, computer, hand phone, book of Tafseer, parted Mus-haf, Islamic texts, and the likes. What seems apparent is that majority, if not all of scholars permitted this for a menstruating and postpartum woman. Even the Hanafiyyah.
The Hanafiyyah and Shaafi’iyyah only say otherwise if the recitation is from the complete Mus-haf. And their evidence is that we should respect the Mus-haf while in such state.
Moving from such difference, then a woman in such state should adopt reciting the Qur’an from her phone, computer, tablet or parted Mus-haf.
14: I’m not ignorant of some ahadeeth. Like that of Abdullah bn Abi Bakr Al-Ansaariy which says the prophet said the one who isn’t pure shouldn’t touch the Qur’an.
If such narrations can be proven authentic, we v explained the meaning of the intended purity up there. Coupled with the fact that the Qur’an was not in a Mus-haf during the entire life of the Prophet. And if we are to consider after when it was written and compiled, we know what the Mus-haf was of then. It was written in different and scattered platforms and so big to the extent of it not being movable.
A lot of scholars also argued that all Muslims are pure; being in the state of hayd doesn’t make a Muslim to be impure. Such narrations should be placed on the Kuffar and Mushrikoon. It is a ma’nawiy impurity and not a physical one. The meaning of the taahir in the hadeeth is ma’nawiy and not a physical impurity.
15: Like I do preach, we don’t fight over matters of Fiqh. Even though we will study, positively criticize and contrast evidences to get to the most correct of the differed upon matter, we will never ostracize the one who stand on opposing view due to his own conviction on evidences and not ambiguities. If anyone sees it is Haram for her to recite the Qur’an while in the state of menstruation or/and postpartum bleeding, so be it for her. But we are 100% convinced that it is permitted to recite the Qur’an in such state. It doesn’t worth fighting, abusing and labelling each other over.
One Response
Good writing.
Baarakallahu feekum