The question of ritual purity and its relationship to reading and handling the Qur’an is a query that regularly comes up for those pursuing the spiritual life – for both men and women, but more often than not women. The more frequency of questioning from women is due to two major aspects – the first is that our ladies are often, particularly in our age, more spiritually inclined and more concerned about drawing nearer to their Lord than our ‘males’. The second is that women are also subject to rulings that do not pertain to men in regards to ritual purity on account of the bearing of children, the monthly menses, and being in the state of janaba due to intercourse. The rulings we discuss below are from the Shafi’i school predominantly, but with some reference to the Maliki school – in general, we do follow the Shafi’i school, but often with reference to the Maliki madhhab. There are circumstantial reasons for this which relate to the precedent of Sayyid Muhammad bin ‘Alawi al-Maliki who was Maliki, and the shaykh of our shaykhs; the fact that the Shadhuli (and we are attached to that) masters generally followed the Maliki school; the practice of many of our own shaykhs who are Maliki.
The upshot is that according to the Shafi’is, a woman must be in a state of wudu’ to handle the Qur’an, and must be able to make wudu’ in order to recite it, except for the purpose of dhikr. According to the Malikis, there are opinions that would allow a woman in any state to recite the Qur’an, with any intention, if they are unable to have an effective ghusl; and to handle it if they were unable to be in a state of wudu’, but only if they are learning, teaching, or doing so because they are reciting it in the fear they would forget the portion they are reciting. There are a variety of opinions among the Malikis, which may be different to the Maliki ones noted here.
And Allah knows best.
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1. There are several states that a woman may be in, and they may be classified below:
A) The woman is in a state of ritual purity – i.e., he or she has performed wudu’, and has not lost it.
B) The woman has lost their wudu’, but is not in a state of janaba (major ritual impurity).
C) The woman is bleeding due to her menstrual cycle or child-birth/postpartum, and it is ongoing, and was not in a state of janaba before she started bleeding.
D) The woman is bleeding due to her menstrual cycle or child-birth/postpartum and was in the state of janaba due to intercourse before she started bleeding.
E) The woman was bleeding due to her menstrual cycle or child-birth/postpartum, was not in a state of janaba before she started, but it has come to an end and she would be able to make ghusl in order to return to purity.
F) The woman was bleeding due to her menstrual cycle or child-birth/postpartum, and was in the state of janaba due to intercourse before she started bleeding, but it has come to an end and she would be able to make ghusl in order to return to purity.
G) The woman who is in a state of janaba due to sexual intercourse, but she has not yet lifted the state of janaba by performing ghusl.
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2. The rulings that pertain to each of these states are as follows:
A) The woman is in a state of ritual purity – i.e., he or she has performed wudu’, and has not lost it.
– The woman may recite the Qur’an with any intention.
– The woman may handle the Qur’an for whatever reason.
B) The woman has lost their wudu’, but is not in a state of janaba (major ritual impurity).
– The woman may recite the Qur’an with any intention.
– The woman may not handle the Qur’an. [One should keep in mind that Qur’an on a phone or computer does not take the ruling of the mushaf, nor does a book that contains the mushaf and tafsir, if the Qur’anic text is less than half of the overall text.]
[The Malikis do have an opinion that would allow a woman to handle the Qur’an in this state if she is teaching or studying it.]
C) The woman is bleeding due to her menstrual cycle or child-birth/postpartum, and it is ongoing, and was not in a state of janaba before she started bleeding.
– The woman may not recite the Qur’an with the intention of tilawat al-Qur’an – rather, she is permitted only to read it with the intention of dhikr or protection. That would include the well known adhkar and awrad of the Qur’an, such as for example, the short surahs, and the different verses that are often used as a dhikr. It would also include verses that are used in order to provide proofs, or for health and the like. In general, it would be allowed to read it with the intention of dhikr.
[Within the Maliki school, there are opinions that provide for permissibility for the woman to recite. Shaykh Muhammad Bashir al-Shafaqa notes:
“It is permissible for a woman who is menstruating or has postpartum bleeding to recite the Qur’an, even while blood is flowing, from memory or from the mushaf without touching it (nb – or any part of the Qur’an), whether or not she fears forgetting it, and whether or not she is in the state of major ritual impurity because of intercourse, and to do so after the blood has stopped but before making the purificationary bath (ghusl)if she is not (also) in the state of major ritual impurity because of intercourse.”]
– The woman may not handle the Qur’an. [One should keep in mind that Qur’an on a phone or computer does not take the ruling of the mushaf, nor does a book that contains the mushaf and tafsir, if the Qur’anic text is less than half of the overall text.]
[Within the Maliki school, there are opinions that provide permissibility for the woman to handle the Qur’an, as per Shaykh Muhammad Bashir al-Shafaqa, whose words I reproduce here:
“A woman who is menstruating may touch and write on a board for the sake of instruction, whether she is teaching or learning, and she may also do whatever is associated with this, such as carrying it back to or taking it from its place. It is also possible for a menstruating woman who is a teacher or a student to touch the complete mushaf.”
There are also Maliki opinions that would mention explicitly that if the woman is not learning or teaching, but is handling the Qur’an in order to recite a portion that she would be afraid of forgetting if she did not continually recite it, this would also be permissible.]
D) The woman is bleeding due to her menstrual cycle or child-birth/postpartum and was in the state of janaba due to intercourse before she started bleeding.
– The woman may not recite the Qur’an with the intention of tilawat al-Qur’an – rather, she is permitted only to read it with the intention of dhikr or protection. That would include the well known adhkar and awrad of the Qur’an, such as for example, the short surahs, and the different verses that are often used as a dhikr. It would also include verses that are used in order to provide proofs, or for health and the like. In general, it would be allowed to read it with the intention of dhikr.
[Within the Maliki school, there are opinions that provide for permissibility for the woman to recite. There are also opinions that oppose this, as they prioritise the janaba of intercourse over it, but we follow the opinion that does provide permissibility, as the menstrual cycle is a state that cannot immediately be lifted by a ghusl, irrespective of whether it was preceded by intercourse.]
– The woman may not handle the Qur’an. [One should keep in mind that Qur’an on a phone or computer does not take the ruling of the mushaf, nor does a book that contains the mushaf and tafsir, if the Qur’anic text is less than half of the overall text.]
[Within the Maliki school, there are opinions that provide permissibility for the woman to handle the Qur’an if the woman is learning or teaching, or in order to recite a portion that she would be afraid of forgetting if she did not continually recite it.]
E) The woman was bleeding due to her menstrual cycle or child-birth/postpartum, was not in a state of janaba before she started, but it has come to an end and she would be able to make ghusl in order to return to purity.
– The woman may not recite the Qur’an with the intention of tilawat al-Qur’an – rather, she is permitted only to read it with the intention of dhikr or protection. That would include the well known adhkar and awrad of the Qur’an, such as for example, the short surahs, and the different verses that are often used as a dhikr. It would also include verses that are used in order to provide proofs, or for health and the like. In general, it would be allowed to read it with the intention of dhikr.
[Within the Maliki school, there are opinions that provide permissibility for the woman to recite the Qur’an in this, which allows for some flexibility on this point – however, we recommend the woman prioritise taking a ghusl, and not leave the Shafi’i opinion on this point, as the possibility for taking a ghusl is there.]
– The woman may not handle the Qur’an. [One should keep in mind that Qur’an on a phone or computer does not take the ruling of the mushaf, nor does a book that contains the mushaf and tafsir, if the Qur’anic text is less than half of the overall text.]
[Within the Maliki school, there are opinions that provide permissibility for the woman to handle the Qur’an if the woman is learning or teaching.]
F) The woman was bleeding due to her menstrual cycle or child-birth/postpartum, and was in the state of janaba due to intercourse before she started bleeding, but it has come to an end and she would be able to make ghusl in order to return to purity.
– The woman may not recite the Qur’an with the intention of tilawat al-Qur’an – rather, she is permitted only to read it with the intention of dhikr or protection. That would include the well known adhkar and awrad of the Qur’an, such as for example, the short surahs, and the different verses that are often used as a dhikr. It would also include verses that are used in order to provide proofs, or for health and the like. In general, it would be allowed to read it with the intention of dhikr.
– The woman may not handle the Qur’an. [One should keep in mind that Qur’an on a phone or computer does not take the ruling of the mushaf, nor does a book that contains the mushaf and tafsir, if the Qur’anic text is less than half of the overall text.]
[Within the Maliki school, there are opinions that provide permissibility for the woman to handle the Qur’an if the woman is learning or teaching.]
G) The woman who is in a state of janaba due to sexual intercourse, but she has not yet lifted the state of janaba by performing ghusl.
– The woman may not recite the Qur’an with the intention of tilawat al-Qur’an – rather, she is permitted only to read it with the intention of dhikr or protection. That would include the well known adhkar and awrad of the Qur’an, such as for example, the short surahs, and the different verses that are often used as a dhikr. It would also include verses that are used in order to provide proofs, or for health and the like. In general, it would be allowed to read it with the intention of dhikr.
[Within the Maliki school, there are opinions that provide permissibility for the woman to recite the Qur’an in this, which allows for some flexibility on this point – however, we recommend the woman prioritise taking a ghusl, and not leave the Shafi’i opinion on this point, as the possibility for taking a ghusl is there.]
– The woman may not handle the Qur’an. [One should keep in mind that Qur’an on a phone or computer does not take the ruling of the mushaf, nor does a book that contains the mushaf and tafsir, if the Qur’anic text is less than half of the overall text.]
[Within the Maliki school, there are opinions that provide permissibility for the woman to handle the Qur’an if the woman is learning or teaching.]
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And Allah Knows best.
[The Shafi’i positions mentioned above are well known. Predominantly, the Maliki notes can be checked by referring to Fiqh al-Ibadat by Muhammad Bashir al-Shafaqa (thank you to Shaykh M Furber for the reference), Bulghat al-Salik by Ahmad al-Sawi, Hashiyat al-‘Adawi by Ali al-Adawi, and al-Fiqh al-Maliki by Habib b. Tahir (thank you Shaykh I. Bowers for the references), but different Maliki fuqaha have been consulted on the relevant sections. Given the variety of opinions in the Maliki school, there is a good deal of variation that exists, which may result in other Maliki fuqaha following other, also legitimate, views in their school.]
