Learn the Islamic ruling on reading and touching the Quran during menstruation according to the Qur'an, Sunnah, and the scholars.
Praise be to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, and his companions.
Reading the Quran during menstruation is one of the issues concerning which the scholars differed. The majority of the jurists held that it is not permissible for a menstruating woman to recite the Quran until she becomes pure. However, a number of scholars held that it is permissible for her to recite the Quran, and this view was favored by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (رحمه الله) and a number of later scholars.
As for touching the Mus-haf, the stronger and more widely accepted view among the scholars is that it is not permissible for a menstruating woman, or anyone in a state of ritual impurity, to touch the Quran directly until purification has been attained.
The majority of the fuqaha held that a menstruating woman should not recite the Quran until her menstrual period ends and she performs the required purification.
They made an exception for general remembrance of Allah (Dhikr), supplications, and Quranic phrases commonly used as invocations, such as saying "Bismillah", "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji‘un", and similar expressions that are not intended as formal Quran recitation.
The scholars who prohibited recitation argued that menstruation and Janabah share certain rulings because both require Ghusl for purification.
‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
Based on this narration, some scholars argued that menstruation should be treated similarly to Janabah regarding Quran recitation.
The following narration is often cited:
However, many scholars of Hadith considered this narration weak (Da‘if). Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (رحمه الله) stated that the scholars of Hadith were agreed regarding its weakness.
Some scholars held that a menstruating woman may recite the Quran. This was the view of Imam Malik (رحمه الله), one narration from Imam Ahmad (رحمه الله), the preferred opinion of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (رحمه الله), and the position regarded as strongest by Imam al-Shawkani (رحمه الله).
They based their view on several evidences and principles.
Acts remain permissible unless there is authentic evidence establishing prohibition.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (رحمه الله) said:
Allah has commanded His servants to recite and reflect upon the Quran and has praised those who do so. No authentic evidence specifically excludes menstruating women from these general texts.
Allah says:
The scholars who permitted recitation pointed out an important difference between menstruation and Janabah.
A person in a state of Janabah can remove the impurity immediately by performing Ghusl. A menstruating woman has no ability to end her menstrual cycle before its natural conclusion.
Therefore, making an analogy between the two situations is not entirely accurate.
A menstruating woman may need to recite the Quran for memorization, revision, teaching, learning, or to avoid forgetting portions she has already memorized.
Preventing her from reciting for several days each month may result in hardship and loss of benefit.
Based on the strength of the evidences, many contemporary scholars considered it permissible for a menstruating woman to recite the Quran from memory, especially when there is a need such as memorization, teaching, revision, or fear of forgetting.
This is because there is no authentic and explicit text clearly prohibiting her from reciting the Quran during menstruation.
At the same time, if a woman wishes to be cautious and avoid reciting except when necessary, then this is also a valid approach due to the longstanding scholarly disagreement on the issue.
The ruling regarding touching the Mus-haf differs from the ruling regarding recitation.
The stronger opinion among the scholars is that it is not permissible for a menstruating woman to touch the Mus-haf directly until she becomes pure.
Allah says:
Furthermore, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ wrote to the people of Yemen:
This narration was authenticated by many scholars due to its widespread acceptance and transmission among the scholars of Islam.
Therefore, the stronger scholarly view is that a menstruating woman should not touch the Mus-haf directly.
Many contemporary scholars have stated that reading Quran from a mobile phone, tablet, or computer does not carry the same ruling as touching the Mus-haf because the Quranic text is not physically fixed on the device in the same manner as a printed Mus-haf.
Accordingly, a menstruating woman who follows the opinion permitting recitation may read from such devices without touching a physical Mus-haf.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (رحمه الله) favored the view that a menstruating woman may recite the Quran because there is no authentic text clearly prohibiting her from doing so.
Imam Malik (رحمه الله) and a narration from Imam Ahmad (رحمه الله) likewise permitted Quran recitation during menstruation.
At the same time, the scholars generally agreed that touching the Mus-haf requires ritual purity and should be avoided during menstruation.
The issue of reciting the Quran during menstruation is one in which respected scholars differed. The stronger evidence indicates that recitation itself is permissible, while touching the Mus-haf remains prohibited until purification. A Muslim woman should follow the view she believes is supported by the strongest evidence while maintaining respect for the recognized scholarly differences on this issue.
And Allah the Exalted knows best.