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section 28,
regulation about divorce
men not to go near women during the monthly course - glad-tidings to the believers
about their meeting allah - period of waiting for divorced women - reconciliation after the
divorce and re-establishment of conjugal relations.
222. " they ask you (o' muhammad) concerning menstruation. say:
`it is a hurt; so avoid (intercourse with) women during menstruation
and do not approach them till they be cleaned.
when they are thus purified, then you may go unto them
as allah has commanded you.'
verily, allah loves those who repent constantly,
and (he) loves those who purify themeselves."
occasion of revelation:
women have a state of menstruation every month the course of
which is at least three days and at most ten days. it is discharging of
blood from the woman's womb, with some special qualities which the
concerning jurisprudent books detail. the woman in this condition is
called: /ha'id/ `menstruous woman' and that blood is called `menstrual
blood'.
the existing religious regulations among the jews and the
christians due to sexual intercourse of men with such women are
opposite to each other, so different that it creates questions for a person
not from amongst them.
some of the jews say that the association of men with such
women is absolutely unlawful, even in the form of eating food with them
at the same table, or living in one room. they say, for example, a man
should not sit where a menstruous woman had sat before. so, if the man
sat thereon, he would have to wash his clothing, else it is unclean, /najis/.
or, if he sleeps in her bed, he must wash both his clothing and body. in
short, according to the current torah, a woman, during this period, is
considered an unclean one necessary to avoid. (the torah, leviticus,
chapter 15, p. 138, no. 19-29 which is exactly narrated at the end of the
current discussion._
christians are just opposite with this group. they actually make
no difference between the menstrual period of woman and other than
that. there is no bar for them to have any association with their wives
including sexual intercourse during that period, even.
pagan arabs, the ones who were living in medina in particular,
had become, more or less, sociable with the habits of the jews, and
treated menstruous women like the jews did. they used to keep aloof
from their wives when they were in their monthly courses. that very
notable difference in those religious notions and the existing custom
among their adherents, caused that some muslims posed that question
to the prophet (p.b.u.h.). in answer to their question, this verse was
revealed.
commentary:
hygienic concerns during menstruation
" they ask you (o' muhammad) concerning menstruation. say:
` it is a hurt; ..."
the arabic term /mahid/ is an infinitive form which, here,
philologically means `menstruation'. thus, the meaning of the verse is:
o' muhammad they ask you about menstruation and its injunctions. in
answer to that, say `it is a hurt'.
in fact, this phrase states the philosophy of the ordinance of the
prohibition of sexually approaching women during their monthly course.
this matter is referred to in the subsequent sentence. sexual intercourse
with women in this state, besides being repugnant, brings forth many
harms. this fact has been approved by modern medicine, too. some of
these harms are: probability of becoming barren and unproductive in
woman & man, preparing a good environment for the increase of
venereal microbes such as: syphilis, gonorrhea, inflammation in the
woman's genital organ, arriving of the menstrual material, which is full
of microbes, into the man's organ, and so on are explained in the
concerning medical books. that is why physicians have also prohibited
sexual intercourse with such women.
discharging the blood of menstruation is due to the congestion of
the blood vessels of the womb and the gall of its mucus. the ovary also
associates with the action of the congestion of the blood vessels in the
womb.
approximately about the time of menses, the woman's seed passes
through a tube called the fallopian tube and enters the womb in order
that if the sperm of man comes in, they jointly produce a foetus.
at the first onset, the blood of menstruation is irregular and
colourless, but soon it becomes regular and turns red; but at the end, it
becomes weak in colour and irregular.
basically, the discharging blood at the time of monthly
menstruation, is the same blood gathered in the interior blood vessels of
the womb every month for the nourishment of the probable foetus. we
know that the womb of a woman produces an ovule a month. nearly at
the same time the interior blood vessels of the womb, by way of
hormonal activity, in order to be ready to feed the foetus, become full of
blood. if when the ovule passes through the fallopian tube and enters
the womb the spermatozoon be present therein, they form a foetus and
the existing blood in the blood vessels will be used as its nutrition,
otherwise the existing blood , as a result of appearing some breaks in
the walls of the blood vessels in the womb and mucus of the womb, pour
out from the womb in the form of menstruation blood.
this statement makes it clear why sexual intercourse during that
period is a pollution or a hurt and is forbidden. it also indicates that at
the time of discharging, the woman's womb has not any natural
preparation to embrace foetus, therefore it will be hurt thereby.
"... so avoid (intercourse with) women during menstruation
and do not approach them till they be cleaned. ... "
the beginning phrase of this verse, which enjoins avoidance and
prohibits approaching and having intercourse with menstruous women,
initially seems similar to the present regulations in the creed of the
jews. but, regarding to the sentence: `then you may go unto them as allah
has commanded you' , which is upon the permission of sexual intercourse
with women after being cleaned from the menstruation, it is recognized
that the purpose of avoidance and barring the approaching is only
abstention from sexual intercourse during that period.
thus, islam has paved a moderate path due to the monthly course
of women. and, the method of islam everywhere is always the middle
way; so, it is always aloof from excess and defect. here, it also condemns
the excess of the jews by saying that, any companionship and association
with women in their course, except for sexual intercourse, does not
matter. it also rejects the method of the christians who consider no
limitation for the association with menstruous women. in this way,
islam, observing the honour and personality of woman and abandoning
her humiliation, has prevented the deeds which cause hygienical harms
and hurts for both man and woman.
permitted sexual intercourse
" ... when they are thus purified, then you may go unto them
as allah has commanded you.' ..."
this part of the verse is, in fact, an explanation of the permitted
intercourse with women. it is understood from the terms `when they are
thus purified' that as soon as women are free from monthly course,
sexual intercourse with them is allowed for their husbands; because this
phrase has occurred after the qualification of the uncleanliness of
menstruation. that is, when women are cleaned from this uncleanliness,
the prohibition will be removed. the interpretation of /tatahharna/ `are
thus purified' into ritual ablution /qusl/ for women is not fitting with the
apparency of the verse, because there has not been any statement of
obligatory `ritual ablution' /qusl/ at the beginning of the verse.
in other words, the apparent meaning of the earlier phrase that
says: `till they be cleaned' is that the prohibition is during the time of
uncleanliness of a woman; and the phrase: `when they are thus purified',
which has begun, in arabic, with a sign of subdivision, refers to the
meaning of the earlier phrase, i.e. when they become cleaned, this
prohibition will be removed. and, this is the same judgement that our
great religious jurisprudents have also chosen in jurisprudence and have
decreed that: sexual intercourse with women, after being cleansed from
blood, and even before performing their ritual ablution /qusl/, is
permissible.
by the foregoing explanation, it became defined that the phrase
`are thus purified' , in spite of what some have supposed, does not have
any indication to performing ritual ablution, and the obligation of it has
been proved through another reason.
in the next sentence, it commands that you may approach your
wives in the same way that allah has ordered you:
" ... then you may go unto them as allah has commanded you. ' ..."
this phrase can be an emphasis on the previous statement, i.e.
you may have sexual intercourse only in the case of cleanliness of your
wives, not in other than that.
it may also convey a wider and more general concept, viz. after
being cleaned, the sexual approachment should also be performed in the
limits of the commandments of allah.
the commandment can evidently encompass both the genetic
commandment of allah and the divine legislation, because, for the
purpose of the maintenance of the human kind, allah has settled a kind
of interest and attraction between the two sexes toward each other that,
for the same reason, each party enjoys a special pleasure from the other
one. but it is certain that the aim of that status has been for the
maintenance of the generations of human kind, and this struggle and
pleasure is a preparation for that aim. therefore, sexual pleasure
should be settled alongside the path of the maintenance of the human
race. for this very reason, masturbation, sodomy and the like of them,
which are a deviation from this genetic commandment, are totally
forbidden. by no means can these disagreeable acts provide the main
aim of sexual intercourse and are not even towards it (besides other
grave harms that they have).
" ... verily, allah loves those who repent constantly, and (he)
loves those who purify themselves."
the term ` repentance ' means return from sin and regret from
disobedience to the command of allah.
the main pillars of repentance are three:
1- the acknowledgment that the one has ignorantly disobeyed the
commandment of allah formerly.
2- to feel sorry about that action.
3- a firm decision upon its abandonment in the future and making
an effort to make up for the past.
when such a situation appears in a person, the one is called /ta'ib/
`repentant', and that action is termed /taubah/ `repentance'. (more
explanation about repentance and its conditions have been detailed and
will be cited upon the verses of consequence.)
the objective meaning of the qur'anic term /tathir/ `purification'
in this verse is `not to be polluted by sin' and `refrain from disobeying
allah'.
the occurrence of this phrase at the end of the verse is for that,
after the command of the lord enjoining the avoidance of the believers
from sexual intercourse during the monthly period of women, some
might not restrain themselves from that because of the intense pressure
of their natural instinct and inspite of the order of allah would commit
sin. so, in order that this group of people be hopeful and could return
to rightfulness, the qur'an remarks that if (such) people repent, allah
loves them, while those who keep purified themselves from the
beginning and do not pollute themselves with this sin, have a larger
portion of the love and grace of allah.
* * * *
old testament, leviticus, chapter 15, p. 138, no. 19 to 29,
concerning women at the period of menstruation, says thus:
19. and if a woman has an issue, and her issue in her flesh be
blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her
shall be unclean until the even.
20. and every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be
unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.
21. and whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and
bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
22. and whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall
wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the
even.
23. and if it be on her bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth,
when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even.
24. and if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon
him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth
shall be unclean.
25. and if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of
the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her
separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the
days of her separation: she shall be unclean.
26. every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be
unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon
shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation.
27. and whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and
shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until
the even.
28. but if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to
herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.
29. and on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or
two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation.
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