Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) revealed in {Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:222}:
وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْمَحِيضِ قُلْ هُوَ أَذًى فَاعْتَزِلُوا النِّسَاءَ فِي الْمَحِيضِ وَلَا تَقْرَبُوهُنَّ حَتَّىٰ يَطْهُرْنَ فَإِذَا تَطَهَّرْنَ فَأْتُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ
"And they ask you about the menstruation. Say: It is a thing of harm/hurt (أَذًى); therefore keep away from the women during the menstruation and do not aproach them until they are purified. Then when they are purified, come to them as Allah has ordered/commanded you. Indeed, Allah loves those who turn in repentance (to Him), and He loves those who purify themselves."
🔎 Analysis of the word أَذى (Adha):
The sixth word of verse (2:222) is an indefinite masculine noun and is in the nominative case (مرفوع).
The noun's triliteral root is hamza dhal ya (أ ذ ي) which occurs 24 times in the Quran, in two derived forms:
15 times as the form IV verb udhiya (أُوذِىَ) and nine times as the noun adhan (أَذًى).
Its meaning includes the following: annoyance, injury, ailment, damage, harm, hurt, trouble, suffering, something which is disagreeable or something that is dirty/filthy. [1]
And in {Surah Al-Talaq, 65:4}:
وَاللَّائِي يَئِسْنَ مِنَ الْمَحِيضِ مِن نِّسَائِكُمْ إِنِ ارْتَبْتُمْ فَعِدَّتُهُنَّ ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْهُرٍ وَاللَّائِي لَمْ يَحِضْنَ وَأُولَاتُ الْأَحْمَالِ أَجَلُهُنَّ أَن يَضَعْنَ حَمْلَهُنَّ وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ يُسْرًا
"And those who have despaired of the menstruation from (amongst) your women, if you have a doubt, then their waiting period is three months, and (also) those who have not menstruated. And those (of) the pregnant women, their term is until they deliver their loads; and whoever fears Allah He will make easy for him his affair."
Thus from the above verses the following rulings are derived:
🔹The menstruating woman is in a state of impurity.
🔹Sexual intercourse is prohibited with a woman during her menstruation period.
🔹The waiting period (العدة) for divorced women who do not experience menstration is three months whilst for those who do, the 'Iddah is three menstrual cycles as per {Surah al-Baqarah, 2:228}.
The traditionalist belief is that the menstruation prohibits women from fasting and establishing salah. These positions will be anaylsed using the Qur'aan as the criterion ( الْفُرْقَانَ ) between truth and falsehood.
ℹ️ The menstruating woman is NOT exempt from fasting:
The Qur'aan does not lend support to the position regarding prohibition on fasting for those who are menstruating but rather that they are amongst those who are obliged to fast during the month of Ramadan as understood from {Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:185}:
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ
"The month of Ramadan that which within it was revealed the Qur'aan, a guidance for mankind and clarifications of the guidance and the criterion. So whoever witnesses from amongst you the month, then observe fasting in it..."
Allah, from His mercy, has granted permission for those who are sick or on a journey, that they MAY abstain from fasting during Ramadan:
فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُ فِدْيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍ فَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّهُ وَأَن تَصُومُوا خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
"But whoever among you is sick (مَّرِيضًا) or upon a journey (عَلَىٰ سَفَر), then a prescribed number of other days; and upon those who are not able to do it, a redemption ( فِدْيَةٌ ) by feeding a poor person. So whoever volunteers good then it is better for him; and that you fast is better for you if you know."
{Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:184}
And:
وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ
"And whoever is sick (مَّرِيضًا) or on a journey (عَلَى سَفَرٍ), the presribed number (of days) from other days. Allah intends for you ease, and He does not intend for you hardship..." {Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:185}
🔎 Analysis of the word مريض (Maridan):
The word is an indefinite masculine singular noun and is in the accusative case (منصوب).
The noun's triliteral root is meem ra dad (م ر ض) which occurs 24 times in the Quran, in three derived forms:
Once as the form I verb marid (مَرِضْ)
13 times as the noun marad (مَّرَض)
10 times as the noun mareed (مَّرِيض)
Its meaning includes the following:
Sickness, illness, disease, or malady. [2]
So the Arabic word for 'sickness' is 'Marid' (the plural being: Marda).
ℹ️ Adha (أذى) and Marid (مرض) are NOT necessarily synonymous:
Allah has seperated and differentiated أذى from مرض by using them both in the SAME VERSE on more than one ocassion within the Qur'aan, as follows:
In {Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:196}:
وَأَتِمُّوا الْحَجَّ وَالْعُمْرَةَ لِلَّهِ فَإِنْ أُحْصِرْتُمْ فَمَا اسْتَيْسَرَ مِنَ الْهَدْيِ وَلَا تَحْلِقُوا رُءُوسَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَبْلُغَ الْهَدْيُ مَحِلَّهُ فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضًا أَوْ بِهِ أَذًى مِّن رَّأْسِهِ فَفِدْيَةٌ مِّن صِيَامٍ أَوْ صَدَقَةٍ أَوْ نُسُكٍ
"And complete the pilgrimage and the visit for Allah, then if you are prevented, then (offer) whatever can be obtained with ease of the sacrificial animal, and do not shave your heads until the offering reaches its destination; then whoever among you is sick (مَّرِيضًا) or with him is an ailment/harm (أَذًى) of his head, then a redemption of fasting or charity or sacrifice..."
And in {Surah An-Nisa, 4:102}:
وَإِذَا كُنتَ فِيهِمْ فَأَقَمْتَ لَهُمُ الصَّلَاةَ فَلْتَقُمْ طَائِفَةٌ مِّنْهُم مَّعَكَ وَلْيَأْخُذُوا أَسْلِحَتَهُمْ فَإِذَا سَجَدُوا فَلْيَكُونُوا مِن وَرَائِكُمْ وَلْتَأْتِ طَائِفَةٌ أُخْرَىٰ لَمْ يُصَلُّوا فَلْيُصَلُّوا مَعَكَ وَلْيَأْخُذُوا حِذْرَهُمْ وَأَسْلِحَتَهُمْ وَدَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ تَغْفُلُونَ عَنْ أَسْلِحَتِكُمْ وَأَمْتِعَتِكُمْ فَيَمِيلُونَ عَلَيْكُم مَّيْلَةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِن كَانَ بِكُمْ أَذًى مِّن مَّطَرٍ أَوْ كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰ أَن تَضَعُوا أَسْلِحَتَكُمْ وَخُذُوا حِذْرَكُمْ
"And when you are among them then establish the prayer for them, let a party of them stand up with you, and let them take their arms; then when they have prostrated themselves let them go to your rear, and let another party who have not prayed come forward and pray with you, and let them take their precautions and their arms; and those who disbelieve wish that you neglect of your arms and your baggage, so that they may then turn upon you with a single attack, and there is no blame upon you, if you are troubled/harmed (أَذًى) from rain or if you are sick ( مَّرْضَى ), that you lay down your arms, and take your precautions..."
Menstruation (حَيْض) has been defined by Allah as something which is an أذى instead of a مرض which means that as a general ruling it is NOT considered as a sickness/illness and therefore because of the absence of an explicit evidence, the menstruating woman is not by default granted permission to abstain from the obligatory fasting during Ramadan. However, if due to menstruation the health of the female is affected causing her to become unwell or sick then she may choose to abstain from fasting for the duration of her sickness and make those fasts up after the month of Ramadan.
ℹ️ Do women have to establish salah whilst menstruating?
It is understood that the woman during her menstruation is in a state of impurity because Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) revealed that:
فَاعْتَزِلُوا النِّسَاءَ فِي الْمَحِيضِ وَلَا تَقْرَبُوهُنَّ حَتَّىٰ يَطْهُرْنَ فَإِذَا تَطَهَّرْنَ فَأْتُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ
"...therefore keep away from the women during the menstruation and do not aproach them until they are PURIFIED. Then when they are PURIFIED, come to them as Allah has ordered/commanded you..."
{Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:222}
Whilst through {Surah Al-Maeda, 5:6} it is understood that cleanliness and purity is a pre-requirement for establishing the Salah because Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) begins with:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ
"O you who believe! When you stand up/rise to the prayer..."
So the context of the verse is clearly in relation to the Salat.
What follows after is a series of instructions on when and how to clean and purify ourselves, for example:
فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ
"...wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows..."
As well as:
وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُوا
"...and if you are in a state of sexual impurity, then purify (yourselves)..."
And the purpose of these actions (washing, wiping and bathing) is to achieve a state of purification as is clearly stated by Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala):
مَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ
"...Allah does not wish to put upon you any difficulty, but He wishes to PURIFY you..."
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REFERENCES:
[1] Edward Lanes Lexicon, Williams and Norgate 1863; Beirut-Lebanon 1968, Volume 1, Page 44
[2] Edward Lanes Lexicon, Williams and Norgate 1863, Page 27080
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