Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

can iread quran when i am having my monthly peroids?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Read quran during menstrual periods

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 56 Surah Waqiah verse 77-79:That this is a Glorious Quran, inscribed in a well-guarded Book, which none can touch, except the purified.

Although the above aayah is meant to state how the Quran is honored by the noble angels in the heavens; the scholars have opined that just as the Quran is honored in the heavens by the angels, so should it be honored on the earth…. And thus, one should touch it only when one is pure and clean.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 222: They ask about the monthly periods (of the women). Say (O Prophet), “It is a state of impurity; so keep apart from the women during their monthly periods and do not go near them (sexual intercourse) until they are clean.”

According to most scholars, one who is physically unclean (because of sex or menstruation) should not touch the Qur'an. This is based on a hadith from Hadrat Ali (r.a.), in which he stated that nothing kept the Messenger of Allah (saws), from the Qur'an save being sexually impure.

We have not come across any authentic narrations of the Messenger of Allah (saws) where he explicitly forbade the menstruating women not to touch the Holy Quran. But it is a consensus of the scholars, who have given their opinion in light of the above aayahs of the Holy Quran and the practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws), that a person who is impure, should not touch the Quran.

This is a issue on which the scholars of Islam have a difference of opinion. The best and most accepted opinion is that a women who is in their menstrual period should abstain from touching the Quran, until she has purified herself. Most of the scholars are of the opinion that there is no harm for a woman, who is in her menstrual period, to recite the Quran from memory.

If the woman is studying hifz and fears that she might forget if not rehearsed, or is a Quranic teacher and needs to teach, etc.; under these special circumstances the scholars are of the opinion that there is no harm if the woman in her menstrual period, touches the Quran, but she must wear gloves while doing so.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan