except circumambulation around the House,” is analogous to his saying:

“Allah does not accept the prayer of any of you who has invalidated his ablution until he performs ablution,”

and his saying:

“Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman who has reached puberty unless she wears a headcovering,”

and his saying, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“I do not permit the mosque for anyone in a state of major ritual impurity or for a menstruating woman.”

Indeed, requiring ablution for prayer and a headcovering for a woman in prayer, and prohibiting prayer without these, are more stringent requirements than prohibiting circumambulation during menstruation. If he prohibited the mosque for someone in a state of major ritual impurity and for a menstruating woman, yet permitted a menstruating woman to hand him the small prayer mat from the mosque, telling her, “Your menstruation is not in your hand,” then it is clear that menstruation is located in the private parts, which do not come into contact with the mosque. This reasoning would entail allowing a menstruating woman unrestricted access to it. But if he also said, “I do not permit the mosque for anyone in a state of major ritual impurity or for a menstruating woman,” then these statements must be reconciled, and everything that has come from Allah must be believed.

If neither statement abrogates the other, then one is general and lacks detail, while the other is specific and permits passing through the mosque. This is an exception to that prohibition, even though there is no necessity for it. Thus, permitting circumambulation out of necessity does not conflict with its prohibition in that text. It is like permitting a woman to pray without a headcovering out of necessity, or permitting prayer without ablution out of necessity, using dry purification instead. Indeed, necessity may permit prayer without either ablution or dry purification, as the Companions did when they had no water before the verse was revealed. It is also like permitting prayer without recitation out of necessity, despite his saying:

“There is no prayer without the Opening Chapter of the Quran.”

Likewise, necessity permits prayer and circumambulation despite the presence of ritual impurities, notwithstanding his saying:

“Scrape off the blood, then rub the spot with your fingertips, then pray in the garment.”

Necessity also permits prayer on an impure place, despite his saying:

“Every pure tract of earth has been made for me a place of prayer and a means of purification.”