Allah except in a state of purity.” None of these forms of purification is recommended for a menstruating woman, nor does any scholar consider it disliked for her to remember Allah without them, given the mass-transmitted Sunnah concerning this.

Their disagreement concerns only recitation of the Quran. There is no basis whatsoever in the Sunnah for prohibiting her from reciting it. The report,

“Neither a menstruating woman nor a person in major ritual impurity may recite any of the Quran,”

is a weak hadith, as the scholars of hadith unanimously agree. It was narrated by Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Ayyāsh from Mūsā ibn ‘Uqbah, from Nāfi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar. Ismā‘īl frequently makes mistakes in his narrations from the people of the Hijaz. This report has no basis from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Nor was it narrated from Ibn ‘Umar, Nāfi‘, or Mūsā ibn ‘Uqbah by their associates known for transmitting the Sunnah from them.

Women menstruated during the time of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Had recitation been forbidden to them, as prayer was, this would have been something the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, explained to his community, something the Mothers of the Believers knew, and something they transmitted to the people. Since no one has transmitted any prohibition concerning this from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, it is impermissible to declare it forbidden when it is known that he did not prohibit it. Since he did not prohibit it, despite menstruation being so common in his time, it is known that it is not forbidden.

This is like our argument that, had semen been ritually impure, he would have commanded the Companions to remove it from their bodies and clothes, for it inevitably comes into contact with people’s bodies and clothes