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In summary. Nel diritto islamico, il ciclo mestruale nell’Islam è una condizione fisiologica alla quale corrispondono specifiche disposizioni rituali. Tali disposizioni non attribuiscono alla donna una minore dignità religiosa: disciplinano temporaneamente l’accesso ad alcuni atti di culto. Si fondano su un principio di facilitazione.
Ciclo mestruale nell’Islam: condizione fisiologica e norme rituali
Menstruation, referred to in the legal tradition as ḥayḍ, sono un fenomeno fisiologico ordinario. Il Qurʾān affronta il tema senza trasformarlo in un giudizio sulla persona. La riflessione giuridica distingue tra la dignità della donna, che non viene in alcun modo intaccata, e lo stato rituale che comporta regole determinate.
During menstruation, as during the post-partum period (nifās- النفاس), a woman is not personally impure. Her person, clothing, and touch remain pure [ṭāhir - طاهر] unless where actual blood is materially present. Certain ritual acts during menstruation are governed by specific rules, as mentioned the Qurʾān and Hadith.
QURʾĀN
““And they will ask thee about [woman’] monthly courses. Say: “it is a vulnerable condition …”.
Anas ibn Mālik reported that when the prophet ﷺ was asked, aftrer the revelation of the above verse, how to interact with women in menses, the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: “Do everything except sexual intercourse.”
— Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 302.
Ritual Exemptions and the Continuity of Spiritual Life
During menstruation and childbirth, prayer is neither obligatory nor permissible, and fasting during Ramadan is suspended. Legally, this is not a punishment or a decrease in a woman’s spiritual value, but a normatively prescribed exemption. Refraining from acts for which an exemption is granted is itself a form of observance.
Fasting missed during Ramadan is made up after purification, but daily prayers omitted are not. This distinction is found in the Prophetic tradition, Sunnah, and legal doctrine considering the frequency of daily prayers.
Muʿādhah al-'Adawiyyah asked ʿĀʾishah: “Why is it that a menstruating woman must make up for missed fasts but does not have to make up for missed prayers?” She replied: “This happened to us, and we were instructed to make up the fasts, but we were not instructed to make up the prayers.”
— Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 335c.
The Account of ʿĀʾishah and the Pilgrimage
The account of ʿĀʾishah, (Allāh be pleased with her), is a crucial reference for understanding the Islamic perspective on menstruation. She started menstruating when she arrived at Sarif during the pilgrimage. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ reassured her and instructed her on how to continue with the rites, except for ṭawāf around the Kaʿbah.
The Mother of the Believers ʿĀʾishah (Allāh be pleased with her) said, "We set out with the sole intention of performing Hajj and when we reached Sarif, (a place close to Mecca) I got my menses. Allāh's Messenger ﷺ came to me while I was weeping. He said 'What is the matter with you? Have you got your menses?' I replied, 'Yes.' He said, 'This is a thing which Allāh has ordained for the daughters of ʾĀdam (Allāh bless him). So do what all the pilgrims do with the exception of the ṭawāf - [Circumambulation] round the Ka`ba." ʿĀʾishah added, " Allāh's Messenger ﷺ sacrificed cows on behalf of his wives."
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ الْقَاسِمِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْقَاسِمَ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ عَائِشَةَ، تَقُولُ خَرَجْنَا لاَ نَرَى إِلاَّ الْحَجَّ، فَلَمَّا كُنَّا بِسَرِفَ حِضْتُ، فَدَخَلَ عَلَىَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَنَا أَبْكِي قَالَ: «مَا لَكِ أَنُفِسْتِ؟» قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: «إِنَّ هَذَا أَمْرٌ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى بَنَاتِ آدَمَ، فَاقْضِي مَا يَقْضِي الْحَاجُّ، غَيْرَ أَنْ لاَ تَطُوفِي بِالْبَيْتِ». قَالَتْ: وَضَحَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ نِسَائِهِ بِالْبَقَرِ.
— Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 294.
This hadith shows that menstruation neither interrupts a woman’s membership of the community of believers nor excludes her from the experience of pilgrimage. It sets a precise limit on one rite without affecting participation in the others.
Ciclo mestruale: pratiche devozionali e studio
The suspension of prayer and fasting does not imply an interruption of one’s spiritual relationship with Allah. Supplication duʿāʾ,, remembrance of Allah dhikr, charity, study, and listening to the Qur’an remain possible. Regarding the recitation of the Qur’an during menstruation, the Islamic legal schools hold differing positions; therefore, in contexts of study, teaching, or memorization, it is advisable to refer to a qualified religious authority and to one’s own legal tradition.
Resuming Prayer and ghusl
Once bleeding has ceased and purification has been established according to the criteria recognized in one’s legal tradition, ghusl—the major ritual bath—is performed and prayer is resumed. The details concerning the time at which prayer is resumed and the possible performance of one or more prayers at transitions between different prayer times are subject to interpretive differences among the schools of fiqh. For this reason, it is methodologically incorrect to reduce these questions to a single, abstract formula. ghusl. fiqh
Irregular spotting (istiḥāḍah), brown discharge, and postpartum bleeding require distinct evaluation. In case of doubt, it is advisable to supplement consultation with a qualified religious authority with a medical or gynecological assessment.
Regarding bleeding that continued beyond the menstrual period, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Abstain from prayer for the period during which menstruation prevented you from praying; then perform ghusl and pray.”
— Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 334e.
Resuming Prayer: Practical Guidance
PRACTICAL NOTE
Once the cessation of the flow has been established according to the criteria of one's legal tradition, the ghusl is performed and prayer is resumed from the ritual time still in progress. Prayers not performed during the menstrual cycle are not subject to makeup.
- If purification occurs during the time of Fajr, Dhuhr, or Maghrib, the prayer of the respective time is performed, provided that sufficient time remains according to one’s legal school.
- If it occurs after the end of the Fajr time and before the start of Dhuhr, the Fajr not performed during the cycle is not made up: one resumes with Dhuhr.
- It is not appropriate to use “Islamic midnight” as a general limit: the determination of the last available time for ʿIshāʾ and the consequences of purification in that interval require following one's own school of fiqh.
FIQH NOTE
The case of purification during the time of ʿAsr or ʿIshāʾ is a subject of differences among legal schools. Some consider the previous prayer, which can be combined with the current one, to also be due: Dhuhr with ʿAsr and Maghrib with ʿIshāʾ. Others formulate different indications. The distinction does not concern the making up of prayers missed during menstruation, but rather the duty that arises at the moment of purification. For practical application, it is therefore advisable to follow one's own legal orientation or consult a competent religious guide.
Conclusion
La disciplina del ciclo mestruale nell’Islam distingue con chiarezza tra dignità della persona e stato rituale. Le esenzioni temporanee dalla preghiera e dal digiuno do not constitute a withdrawal from spiritual life, but a form of observance that brings together prescription, mercy, and the continuity of one’s bond with Allah.
Abbas Kiwuwa – Samir Mazouz
Further Reading
- Il tayammum nell’Islam — EuroIslam.
- Il wuḍūʾ e le virtù per perfezionarlo e preservarlo — EuroIslam.
- Sul diritto delle donne all’istruzione — EuroIslam.
