Women Getting Their Period during Hajj
Question
What should a woman do if she gets her period while performing Hajj?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear sister in Islam, thanks for your question, which emanates from a God-fearing heart, since it shows your commitment to Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Islam is built upon five pillars: testifying that there is no true god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, performing Prayer, paying the Zakah, making the pilgrimage to the Sacred House (Hajj), and fasting the month of Ramadan.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari) Also, we’d like to commend your pursuit of Islamic counseling.
As regards your question, Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, former head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, states: "
In an authentic Hadith, the Mother of the Believers, `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to her and found her crying. He said, "Have you got your period?" She said, "Yes". The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Allah the Almighty has prescribed this for the daughters of Adam, so do what other pilgrims do except tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka`bah) until you take ghusl (purificatory bath)." (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Therefore, a menstruating woman is allowed to stand on Mount `Arafah, to run between the two hills of As-Safah and Al-Marwah, and to stone the Jamarat (pillars). Also, she can make takbir and tasbih and dhikr (remembering Allah).
However, she is forbidden from the following:
- Offering Prayer (Salah)
- Tawaf
- Staying at the Mosque
- Touching or carrying the Qur'an.
Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that `A'ishah's menstruation started while she was performing Hajj, but she performed all the rites of Hajj except tawaf around the Ka`bah. When her period ended and she became clean, she performed the tawaf and said, "O Prophet of Allah! Everyone has performed Hajj and `Umrah together, but I have performed Hajj only." Thereupon, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded her brother `Abdur-Rahman to accompany her to a place called Tan`im (in order to perform `Umrah). So she performed `Umrah right after Hajj in the month of Dhul-Hijjah.”
Moreover, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, adds:
“Women who are menstruating should assume ihram after a bath and recite talbiyah and engage in dhikr and du`a’. However, they must not offer Salah. They can practice all of the rituals of Hajj with the sole exception of tawaf.
As far as performing tawaf is concerned, they should postpone it until such time that they are free of menses and have purified themselves through ghusl (bathing).
If, however, because of special circumstances beyond their control, they find themselves unable to stay in Makkah (for instance, they have no choice but to leave with the group because of inability to change or reschedule travel plans), then they are allowed to perform tawaf while still menstruating after cleaning themselves and wearing pads, etc.
The above ruling is given by Imam Ibn Taymiyyah. It has been based on a valid principle of Islamic jurisprudence which states that any condition - upon which the validity of a certain `ibadah (act of worship) is dependent - can be waived if a person cannot fulfill the same; and the `ibadah thus performed will be considered as valid without it. An example for this is covering oneself during Prayer. Thus if a person finds himself unable to cover his `awrah (what must be covered) because he could not find anything to wear, then he must still pray without covering himself and his Prayer will still be considered as valid, although in ordinary circumstances such a Prayer will be considered as null and void. The same rule applies to a menstruating woman who must leave Makkah because of special circumstances beyond her control. The normal condition of purification from menses for the validity of tawaf is be waived in her case, and her Hajj will be considered as perfectly valid.”
