Paradise Under Your Feet — Page 175
Appendix 4: Hygiene, Puberty, and Sex Education 175 Directive of Hazrat Khalifatul V (aba) Regarding Tilawat and Visiting the Mosque by Women During Menstruation There have been varying opinions of the Ulema and Fuqaha with regard to the issue of women sitting in the Mosque and reciting the Holy Qur’an during menstruation. The religious Scholars have also given differing answers to this question according to their understanding of the Holy Qur’an and Hadith. Similarly, in the Jama’at literature, differing answers with reference to the Khulafa of Ahmadiyyat are found as well as varying responses of religious Scholars of the Jama’at. In light of the Holy Qur’an, Ahadith of the Holy Prophet (saw) and the directives of Hazrat Masih Ma’oud (as) on the issue of whether women should recite the Holy Qur’an and sit in the Mosque during menstruation, my position is that during these days women may repeat in their heart the memorised parts of the Holy Qur’an by way of remembrance of Allah. Furthermore, during menstruation, when needed, a lady may hold the Holy Qur’an in a clean cloth and, for the purpose of searching a reference or for teaching the Holy Qur’an to children, she may read a portion of the Holy Qur’an. However, she may not recit e the Holy Qur’an, during these days, by way of a regular recitation (Tilawat). Moreover, there is no harm if a woman, during her menstruation, wishes to use the computer for searching a reference from the Holy Qur’an and, while in this situation, one doesn’t require to hold the Holy Qur’an, she may still not use the computer for recitation (Tilawat) of the Holy Qur’an. Similarly, during these days, a woman may bring something to the Mosque or leave something there, but she may not sit there in the Mosque. If during these days, women were permitted to sit in the Mosque, why would the Holy Prophet (saw) direct that such women should stay away from the place of Salat? Hence, ladies in this