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:

i posted few questions , but yet to get answers for those questions, kindly give response to my questions

I wanted to know about the Taraweeh for women ,if they are performing and while days comes for period ,what should they do ? and during these days can they perform regular salaat

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Answer:

Can women pray in menses?

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.

Q-1: I wanted to know about the Taraweeh for women ,if they are performing

There are two kinds of prayers: 1. Fard or obligatory and 2. Nafl or voluntary. The ‘nafl’ or voluntary prayers which the Messenger of Allah prayed himself are Sunnah for us.

If one prays the ‘fard’ prayers, there is a huge reward from Allah; and if one does not pray the ‘fard’ prayers, it is a huge sin. And if one prays the ‘nafl’ prayer, Allah will give them a huge reward; and if one does not pray the ‘nafl’ prayers, there is no sin.

The Taraweeh prayers are ‘nafl’ or voluntary prayers, thus it is neither obligatory on the men or the women to pray them. If one prays these voluntary prayers, he/she will earn a huge reward from the Merciful Lord; and if one does not pray them, the most we can say that he/she has missed a great opportunity to receive a huge reward from Allah Subhanah.

Q-2: while days comes for period ,what should they do ? and during these days can they perform regular salaat

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 222: They ask thee concerning women's menses. Say: “They are a hurt and a pollution; so keep away from women in their menses, and do not approach them until they are clean.”

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said to Fatimah bint Abu Habish, "Do not pray during your period. After it has ended, perform ghusl and pray."

(Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

Mu'adhah said, "I asked 'Aishah, 'Why must we make up the fasts missed due to our menstruation, and not the prayers?' She said, 'That was what the Messenger of Allah (saws) told us to do. We were ordered to make up the fasts, and we were ordered not to make up the prayers."

(Related by Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Maajah, Sunan Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, and others)

Hadrat Aisha (r.a.), the wife of the Prophet (saws), said: "When we would have our menses during the lifetime of the Prophet (saws), we were ordered to make up the days of fasting that we had missed but were not ordered to make up the prayers that we had missed.”

Related by Bukhari and Muslim.

During the monthly periods, it is not permissible for the believing woman to pray her ritual prayers, nor is she required to make up these missed prayers later. This is a concession and an allowance for the believing woman in her menses from the Lord Most Merciful.

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